iNDICA NEWS BUREAU–
Four members of an Indian American family — including the two parents and twin boys — were found dead inside their San Mateo home in California on Monday, according to the local police. Local media reported that the case is being investigated as a murder-suicide. Local and Indian media identified the couple as Anand Sujith Henry and Alice Benziger. According to court records, the husband filed for divorce in December 2016, but did not go through with it.
An Indian newspaper, Malayala Manorama reported that the four deceased are originally from Kollam district in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The news report identified the family as Anand Henry (42), his wife Alice Priyanka (40) and their twin boys Noah and Nathan (four).
KTVU, a local Fox affiliate reported quoting local sources, “The father fatally shot the mother in a bathtub and then turned the gun on himself. Police confirmed they found a 9mm pistol and loaded magazine in the bathroom. The weapon was legally purchased several months ago.
Manorama said that the two boys may have died from gas poisoning.
While the motive remains unclear, police are waiting for autopsy results and forensic analysis. “We are confident the person responsible was located within the home,” they said. Neighbors said the ‘friendly’ couple had lived in the home for more than four years and seemed like a happy family.
The identities of the couple were revealed by their friends and police are yet to officially release the names.
Anand’s LinkedIn profile identified him as a former Software Engineering Manager at Meta and Google. After leaving his position at Meta in June last year, he founded his own artificial intelligence company, Logits.
According to NBC’s Bay Area affiliate, “Police said they have been called to the home a few times in the past but did not disclose the nature of those calls. There was no note left at the scene, and at this point police do not have a motive.”
Meanwhile, Manorama reported: “Anand, the son of Prof G Henry, former principal of Fatima Mata National College in Kollam, recently resigned from Google and launched a new company. Alice, a software engineer is the daughter of late Benziger and Juliet. Alice’s mother Juliet boarded her return flight on February 11 after staying with the family in California.”
Local media reports suggested that Juliet, who arrived in Kerala on February 12, texted Alice and Anand on WhatsApp. But as they did not reply, she alerted a relative, who asked a friend to check on the family. The person, who reached the residence, rang up the police.
