An Indian-origin family from Kerala was discovered dead in their US$2.1 million home in San Mateo, California, USA, earlier this week, in what authorities have confirmed to be a murder-suicide.
The family members were identified as Anand Sujith Henry, his wife Alice Priyanka Benziger, and their twin children Noah and Neithan, both 4 years old. The San Mateo Police have named the father, Henry, as the suspect.
Both Henry and Benziger were found to have died from gunshot wounds. However, collaborative investigation involving the San Mateo Police Department, the San Mateo County Crime Lab, and the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office, found that the 9mm handgun foudnd on the scene was, registered to Henry legally.
Police also revealed that the wife, Benziger, was found to have died from multiple gunshot wounds, while Henry sustained a single gunshot wound. The cause of death for the minor boys is still pending pathology; however, it has been confirmed that they did not succumb to gunfire or display signs of bodily trauma.
SMPD Confirms Murder-Suicide of Family of Four. To learn more, visit https://t.co/GdCy9Kuf9D. pic.twitter.com/Zpc7mCEbS0
— San Mateo Police Department (@SanMateoPD) February 15, 2024
While multiple media reports claimed that several calls were made to the police from the home in the past, the San Mateo Police Department revealed that there is no history of violence at the home, and that, aside from this incident, they only responded to the residence in 2020 on reports of a mountain lion being spotted in the yard.
The family, originally from Kerala, had lived in the United States for nine years. Henry worked as a software engineer, and Benziger was a senior analyst. According to court records, Henry filed for divorce in 2016, though the process was not completed.
The case is strikingly similar to a recent incident in which a wealthy Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter were found dead in their $5 million mansion in Massachusetts.
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