‘Kind, Caring, Beautiful’ Mother of 2 Allegedly Killed by Boyfriend in Ontario: Police

A Canadian mother of two was allegedly killed by her boyfriend, who has been charged with second-degree murder, police say.

The Durham Regional Police Service said in a release that they responded to a home in Ajax, Ontario, after a report of “unknown trouble.” Officers found a woman, later identified as 45-year-old Jennifer Polak suffering from “obvious signs of trauma,” the agency said.

Kyle Severin, 35, was arrested on the scene without incident, police said. He is being held for a bail hearing. It is not immediately clear if he has entered a plea.

“Jenn Polak was a kind, caring, beautiful person whose death has devastated everyone who knew her,” Polak’s family said in a statement published by police, the Toronto Star reports. “She brought sunshine into the lives of everyone she met. She was the devoted mother of two young men whom she adored.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 

“They are absorbing the news of her death with the support of their father,” the statement continued. “Her grieving parents, sister, grandmother, uncles, aunts and extended family cannot believe that she is gone. Those who knew Jenn through her work will remember that she had a vocation and a passion for working with young children.”

A GoFundMe has been created to raise money for Polak’s two children.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.