US: Indian-origin techie killed family, then self in apparent murder-suicide, police say

The US police on Thursday (Feb 15) said that the deaths of four of an Indian-origin family in California's San Mateo appear to be a case of murder-suicide, and the Indian-origin techie,Anand Sujith Henry, is the suspect.

According to the police, the man killed his wife as well as their four-year-old twins before shooting himself with a gun in a gruesome murder-suicide.

The statement was issued by the police days after 42-year-old Anand Sujith Henry was found dead along with his wife Alice Priyanka Benziger, 40, and their twin sons Noah and Neithan at their $2.1 million-worth home in California.

Also Read: US: Indian-origin family of four found dead in California, two suffered gunshot wounds

The police officials found the couple dead inside a bathroom and they had gunshot wounds when they visited the house for a welfare check on Monday (Feb 12). The children were also found dead in a bedroom.

"At this time, next of kin have been notified and we can now confirm the identities as Anand Henry (father), Alice Benziger (mother), and their minor twin boys. A 9mm handgun legally registered to Henry was located on the bathroom floor where both adults' bodies were located," said the San Mateo Police Department, in a statement.

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Police find 'no history of violence' at home

As per the police officials, Henry, a former Meta employee,was responsible for all four deaths.

"Both Henry and Benziger succumbed to gunshot wounds and based on the investigation to date, Anand Henry has been identified as the suspect," said the police department.

"Our investigation shows Benziger succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, while Henry suffered from a single shot. The cause of death for the minor boys is still pending pathology, but we can confirm they did not die from gunfire or show signs of bodily trauma," added officials.

The family members, who originally belonged to the Indian state of Kerala, had been staying in the United States for the past nine years.

Watch:Indian family of four found dead in murder-suicide case in U.S, police finds bodies during check

Alice was a senior analyst and Anand was a software engineer. They had shifted to San Mateo County from New Jersey two years ago. The neighbours and colleagues admired the deceased couple and described them as hardworking, friendly, and devoted parents.

As per the court records, in 2016 Anand had filed for divorce, however, he did not go through with it. The authorities also confirmed that they did not find any history of violence at the home.

"Our investigation into the motive for this tragedy continues. While we can't undo this horrific incident, we would like to share with our community both domestic violence and mental health resources, because there is help and/or assistance out there, and something like this does not need to happen again," the police said.

(With inputs from agencies)