Officer in critical condition, family dead of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

An Ontario Provincial Police officer remains in critical condition after her husband and two children died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning inside their home.

Police were called to the home Monday after one of its residents didn't show up for work, said Oxford Community Police Staff Sgt. Nancy Lenehan.

Inside the home, officers found the bodies of a man and two children along with a woman whose vital signs were faint.

The woman, Const. Laurie Hawkins, 41, was transferred to Toronto General Hospital in critical condition.

Provincial police identified the victims as Hawkins's husband, 40-year-old Richard Hawkins, and their daughter Cassandra, 14, and son Jordan, 12.

Hawkins has worked in policing for 20 years. For the last decade, she has been assigned to the community policing division, said her supervisor, Sgt. David Rektor.

"Great family … it's just very tragic," Rektor said.

Hawkins is a "tremendous officer" who has been involved with numerous community groups, including advocacy for women against violence and teenagers in need.

"Laurie, because of her skills, is very gifted," Rektor said. "She's very well-known locally, regionally and provincially within the OPP.

"She's always going above and beyond the call of duty."

Oxford police, who are handling the investigation, declined to speculate on how the deaths occurred, but provincial police said it's believed to be carbon monoxide poisoning.

Woodstock, a city of about 36,000, is about 150 kilometres west of Toronto.