Mystery shrouds death of family from Kollam in California; pistols and bullets found near bodies

CALIFORNIA: The police said the incident in which a four-member Malayali family found dead at their home in California is mysterious. Police said the death could be a murder or a suicide. All the four dead are members of a family from Kollam. The dead are Anand Sujith Henry (42), son of former principal of Kollam Fathima Mata College Dr G Henry, and his wife Alice Priyanka (40) and their twins Noahand Neythan, aged four.

The police have confirmed that Anand and his wife Alice died of gunshots. Both their bodies were found in the bathroom. They had gunshot injuries on their bodies. A pistol and bullets were found near the bodies. The twins Noah and Neythan were found dead in their bedroom. The investigating officer said the cause of death will be known only after the post-mortem. There were no gunshot injuries on the children's bodies. There were no signs of anyone trespassing from outside the house. The San Mateo police said they have launched a detailed investigation into the incident.

Police say Anand may have committed suicide after shooting his wife. The police had found that Anand and his wife had applied for divorce in a court in California in 2016. The police believe that marital problems may have led to the murder and suicide.

When Alice’ mother could not get her daughter on the phone, she called her family friend and the latter in turn informed the police. The bodies were found when the police came and examined the house.

Initial reports said the death was due to inhalation of toxic gas. It was suspected that the cause of death was inhalation of toxic gas from AC or heater used during winter time.

The couple had been working in California for nine years. Anand was a software engineer and Alice a senior analyst.