OPP investigating after finding family of 4 dead in Harrow, Ont., home
Mayor says community grieving over death of mom, dad and 2 children
Essex provincial police are investigating the deaths of a mother, father and two young children at their family home near Harrow, Ont., in what has been called an "unimaginable tragedy."
Officers were called to a residence on County Road 13 around 1:30 p.m. ET Thursday.
OPP spokesperson Derek Rogers told a news conference Friday afternoon that it's too early in the investigation to determine what happened and no arrests have been made.
Rogers said investigators quickly determined there was no threat to the community and called it an "unimaginable tragedy."
Cause of the deaths hasn't yet been determined and identities of the four family members weren't confirmed by police.
Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy, however, said a mom, dad and two children were dead.
Harrow, a southwestern Ontario town near Lake Erie, is about a 45-minute drive south of Windsor.
The incident has had a "huge impact" on the town because it is a small, tight-knit community where everybody knows everybody, Bondy said.
She said the mother was very involved in the community, working local jobs, coaching soccer and working at the local youth centre.
"We have such a small community and everything's connected. Just about every area of the town is impacted.
"There are no words of relief. There's nothing I can say to make anything better."
Near the Harrow home on Friday, someone had tied flowers to a utility pole and flags flew at half-staff at local municipal buildings.
Bondy said the Harrow Health Centre is offering free counselling to members of the community experiencing grief and distress.
Post-mortem examinations will be conducted in London.
Police said residents can expect to see a large police presence for the next several days.
Harrow is a small southwestern Ontario town near Lake Erie. It's about a 45-minute drive south of Windsor.
With files from The Canadian Press