The mayor of Essex says the community's heart is broken after four people were found dead in a home in Harrow.
Sherry Bondy says Harrow is very tight.
"Almost everybody knows everybody, so our whole community, our hearts are broken. Especially when you hear that children are involved. It's one thing when it's a single person; that's bad enough, but now we're talking about a whole family," she says.
Ontario Provincial Police officers were called to a home in the 1200 block of County Road 13 between Dunn Road and Gore Road around 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Investigators confirmed Friday that four people were found dead.
The cause of death and the identities of the victims cannot be confirmed.
Bondy says these are friends and neighbours.
"I know that we're putting a lot of resources out there. I know that the daycares put out resources on how to talk to children about grief. This is a conversation that I never thought I'd have to have with my children; is somebody that you knew is no longer here due to an act of violence like this in the family," she says.
A post-mortem examination will be performed at the Centre for Forensic Sciences in London.
Police say the investigation is in its early stages, and no further details are being released at this time.
Bondy says this is a human tragedy.
"I don't know how we're going to recover from something like this," she says. "As a symbol of our acknowledgement, at town hall in Harrow and Colchester, we're lowering the flag and recognizing that the community is going to be mourning for some time now."
A large police presence is expected in that area for the next several days.