FARMINGTON, Conn. -- The deaths of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters shocked several communities.

Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, was strangled and her daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela died of smoke inhalation. All three deaths were ruled homicides, said the state medical examiner. Dr. William Petit Jr. survived the incident and was hospitalized in stable condition.

Police arrested two men -- Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, of Cheshire, and Steve Hayes, 44, of Winsted -- not far from the scene. Both men remain in police custody on several charges, including first-degree sexual assault, arson, kidnapping and robbery.

Four bouquets of flowers and a single rose were left at the Sorghum Mill Drive home in remembrance of the family Tuesday.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Teresa Labarbera reported that two neighborhood children, who are the same age as Michaela Petit, were wandering the Cheshire neighborhood Tuesday, trying to make sense of the scene.

"I heard the car crash and I heard people yelling 'Put your hands on your head,'" said 11-year-old Joseph Noel. "I think this is the scariest thing ever in my life. It's like a TV show, but real."

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Jamie Roth said the deaths of the prominent New Britain doctor's family extend beyond their Cheshire neighborhood and their daughters' school, Miss Porter's in Farmington.

When Hayley learned of her mother's diagnosis of multiple sclerosis several years ago, she started an MS Walk team, Hayley's Hope, to raise money. She raised over $50,000 and became one of the Multiple Sclerosis Society's top 10 fundraisers in the state.

"She was a teenager that had the heart of a compassionate woman," said Lisa Gerrol, president of the Connecticut chapter of the MS Society.

Gerrol recently honored Hayley for her work, but knew there was a reason why giving and caring came naturally to her.

"The entire family was involved," Gerrol said.

Hayley's younger sister, Michaela, was set to take over the MS Walk team. She was a member of her school's student council and played the flute.

Both parents volunteered and both cared for people professionally.

Hawke-Petit was a nurse and director of the Student Health Center at Cheshire Academy. Dr. William Petit Jr. is a noted endocrinologist and diabetes specialist who runs the Joslin Diabetes Center at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain.

"He has been a leader," said Dr. Courtland Lewis, vice president of the Hartford County Medical Association "He's respected by his patients and by his colleagues."

"We are profoundly saddened and shocked by the tragedy that struck the Petit family," said Executive Director of the American Diabetes Association Robert Smith. "The compassion, strength and generosity that Bill, Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela have shown our community has been a magnificent gift, for which we will be eternally grateful. We pray for Bill, and grieve deeply for Jennifer and the girls."

William Petit, 50, survived the attack morning and remained hospitalized late Monday in stable condition. He and his wife were married for 22 years.

The Petit's family pastor, the Rev. Stephen Volpe, told Eyewitness News that William Petit is remaining strong.

"Yesterday, I went in while the state police and Cheshire police officers were still in there with him … and he grabbed my hand and I grabbed his, and the words that came out of his mouth were this: 'Steve, go home, give your kids a kiss, especially that beautiful little girl of yours, Sage.' This was the kind of man Bill Petit is, these were the kind of people the Petits were -- strong and giving in the face of what is going on in their lives," Volpe said.

Hayley recently graduated from Miss Porter's School and planned to attend Dartmouth College next month. Hayley was the co-editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, the co-captain of her crew team as well as a member of the basketball and cross country teams.

The family issued its first public statement about the case on Tuesday.

"Our precious family members have been the victims of horrible, senseless, violent assaults. We are understandably in shock and overwhelmed with sadness as we attempt to gather together to support one another and recognize these wonderful, giving beautiful individuals who have been so cruelly taken from us," the statement said.

Church Opens For Community Mourning

The Cheshire United Methodist Church on Academy Road -- the church that the Petit family attended -- is scheduled to open its doors from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday night for a community mourning in the sanctuary of the church.

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