Stittsville woman in coma after domestic assault

An Ottawa woman found badly beaten Wednesday morning in her Stittsville home has been placed in a medically-induced coma in hospital.

Theresa Lefebvre remains in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon.

Ottawa police received a call about a domestic dispute at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at 64 Hartsmere Drive.

A source told CBC News the woman was beaten with a baseball bat, and that a man had called 911 to say he had killed his wife.

The body of her husband, Peter Lefebvre, was later found in the Stony Swamp Conservation area after an intensive police search.

Police would not confirm the identities of the man or the woman taken to hospital and said because children were involved, they would not be making any further comment.

The tragic events have left friends, family and neighbours reeling.

Vigil cancelled at request of family

A vigil planned by Theresa's friends was to be held Thursday night but it was cancelled at the request of the family.

Neighbours say they never heard or saw any evidence of fighting between the couple, who have two sons. Peter Lefebvre was also an active volunteer with minor hockey in his community.

Jeremy Vollans said he watched as the ambulance pulled up to the Lefebvre's home.

"We're just not wired for this kind of thing you know," said Vollans. "It certainly is shocking and it hits close to home."

The couple's next-door neighbour was too upset to do an interview but she told CBC News that Peter Lefebvre spoke with her last Saturday and he told her he'd been in the hospital for 10 days getting help after a bout of severe depression.

Another neighbour, Graydon Gardner, said Peter Lefebvre had also told him that he and his wife were going through a separation.

Martine Dore, the manager of Chrysalis House, a shelter for abused women in Ottawa, said separation can be a trigger for domestic violence.

"When a woman is thinking about leaving that's when the power and control shifts," said Dore. "The majority of women who are killed by their intimate partners are killed when separated or in the process of separating."