Suspect in Oregon family slaying still unconscious

MEDFORD, Ore. – An Oregon man suspected of stabbing his wife and four children and setting fire to their house has been unconscious since being taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Intensive care unit nurse practitioner Tamara Dixon said Wednesday that 51-year-old Jordan Adam Criado was in guarded but stable condition and on a mechanical respirator to be sure he has no breathing problems, and he remained in what is called an unresponsive state.

She said Criado is suffering from carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning due to smoke inhalation and has a superficial cut on his left wrist that did not require any stitches.

"The possibilities in this early stage are anywhere from waking to remaining in a nonresponsive state," she said. "At this point it is too early to tell."

Police and firefighters called to a fire at the Criado house in Medford on Monday found his wife and four children stabbed. They were all pronounced dead after being taken to hospitals.

Medford police Lt. Bob Hansen said medical examiner Dr. James Olson began the autopsies on Tabasha Paige-Criado, 30, and her four children — Elijah, 7, Isaac, 6, Andrew, 5, and Aurora, 2. The determinations of how they died are likely to be completed Thursday.

Hansen said police were not likely to present evidence to a grand jury until late next week.

"At this point we have not been able to interview him," Hansen said of Criado. "If he doesn't recover, we will have to base our investigation on other evidence that is there, that we are collecting and getting already.

"We'll have just that one missing piece. I think the picture will be clear enough to everyone."

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Jeff Barnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/JeffBarnardAP.