Family found dead in rural Ontario home has police urging patience for answers

Five days after a family of four was found dead in a rural southwestern Ontario home, there remain more questions than answers.

Ontario Provincial Police have yet to comment on the cause or causes of death, nor have police identified the deceased.

On Tuesday, police said they understand the public’s interest but stress that “death investigations take time to complete” and they are requesting the public “remain patient as the process unfolds.”

Officers were called to a home on County Road 13 in Harrow at around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, where the four bodies were found, police said. At the time, police provided no information about their identities or causes of death, except to say there was “no imminent threat to public safety.” Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy confirmed Friday that the deceased involved a mother, father and their two kids: a boy and a girl.

As of the 2021 census, the small community of Harrow had a population of just over 2,500 and is part of the larger town of Essex, which has a population of just over 21,000. The town is about 35 kilometres south of Windsor, Ont.

Despite the community’s small size, a large crowd gathered Sunday for a vigil at the Harrow Soccer Fields. Organizers were initially planning to provide candles for attendees, but the response was so great they had to ask people to bring their own candles or flashlights. Stuffed animals and flowers lined the fence along the entrance to the complex.

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Bondy said the woman had recently organized its minor soccer program, working hard to rally volunteers.

“Without her, we probably wouldn’t have had it, because it’s a lot of work to organize and volunteer.”

Treena Upcott, a friend of the family, said the mother loved her family dearly and made those around her feel appreciated. She said the woman’s daughter was bubbly and smart and her son was full of energy.

— with files from The Canadian Press