3 dead in invasion and fire at doctor's home in Connecticut; 2 men arrested

At least two men broke into a prominent doctor's home, kidnapped a female family member to withdraw money from a bank and then killed his wife and their two daughters, police said.

Dr. William Petit Jr., who was severely injured, told police his family had been held hostage for hours Monday before one member, who was not identified, was taken to the bank with a suspect.

Bank employees were suspicious of the transaction and called police, who surrounded Petit's home, authorities said.

A town police officer saw two men leaving the home as it was engulfed in flames, authorities said. The men sped away in a station wagon, striking several police cruisers before they were captured.

Petit's wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their two daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were found dead in the home, said a law enforcement official with firsthand knowledge of the investigation.

The official confirmed the deaths on the condition of anonymity because autopsy results were still pending.

Authorities would not release the names of the suspects. The two men are due Tuesday in court.

Petit, 50, a well-known diabetes specialist, was in stable condition at St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, though the extent of his injuries was not released.

Petit is the medical director of the Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain. His wife of 22 years was a nurse and worked at the Cheshire Academy, a boarding school, as co-director of its health center.

Neighbor Walter Ryan was walking his dog when he saw the flames coming from the home and then watched as police, with guns drawn, moved through yards and shouted, "'Get out of the car!'"