Police find family of 4 dead in Harrow, Ont., home, calling it an ...

21 Jun 2024

Windsor·Video

OPP investigating after finding family of 4 dead in Harrow, Ont., home

Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the deaths of a mother, father and two young children at their family home near Harrow. A police spokesperson said Friday it's an "unimaginable tragedy" but there's no imminent threat to the public.

Harrow Ontario - Figure 1
Photo CBC.ca
Police in sudden death investigation were called to the residence Thursday afternoon

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 21, 2024 9:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: 25 minutes ago

OPP says loss of 4 lives in Harrow, Ont., 'leaves a hole in the community'
Derek Rogers, a regional media relations co-ordinator for the OPP, gives an update to reporters after four people were found dead at a home in Harrow, Ont. Rogers said he was unable to answer questions about the victims and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

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."

Harrow Ontario - Figure 2
Photo CBC.ca

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. 

Flowers are tied to a pole near the home in rural Harrow, Ont., were four family members were found dead. Essex OPP are investigating. (Dalson Chen/CBC)

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.

Harrow Ontario - Figure 3
Photo CBC.ca

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.

OPP on the scene of a sudden death investigation at the home on County Road 13 on Thursday. (Dalson Chen/CBC)

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.

Harrow Ontario - Figure 4
Photo CBC.ca

"There are no words of relief. There's nothing I can say to make anything better."

Police, shown on County Road 13 on Thursday, continue to investigate the deaths on Friday. (Dalson Chen/CBC)

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

Read more
Similar news
This week's most popular news