Charges have been laid in the heartbreaking deaths of two little girls in Oak Bay.

Their 43-year-old father, Andrew Robert Douglas Berry, faces two counts of second-degree murder.

His six-year-old daughter Chloe and his four-year-old daughter Aubrey were found dead in his Beach Drive ground-floor apartment on Christmas Day.

The father was sent to hospital with self-inflicted injuries.

"From the moment the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit arrived, they have been compassionate, professional, and diligent," Oak Bay deputy police cheif Ray Bernoties said in a statement. "We’ve been engaged with them throughout this investigation and we’re very grateful for their tireless effort." 

The community has rallied around the girls' mother, holding a well-attended candlelight vigil last weekend at Willows Beach.