In a shocking incident, Anand Sujith Henry, a 40-year-old IT engineer, his wife Alice Priyanka Benziger, 41, and their 6-year-old twin boys, Noah and Neithan were found dead in their $2 million home in California. Indian-origin family, who hailed from Kollam in Kerala, had been residing in America for nearly a decade. This is the second such incident in the US in two months. The San Mateo police received a 911 call from someone who had not heard from the residents for some time.
The police discovered the bodies after one of the family’s relatives sought a welfare check as no one in the house was answering the call.
Investigation of the case
Jerami Surratt, the Public Information Officer with the San Mateo Police Department, confirmed the devastating news. “Regrettably, we discovered four deceased individuals inside the residence – an adult man, an adult woman, and two children,” he said.
The authorities are treating the case as a suspected murder-suicide. The couple, both of whom were IT engineers, had gunshot wounds, leading investigators to this conclusion. In contrast, the children showed no signs of physical trauma, leading authorities to believe they may have been smothered, strangled, or given a lethal overdose. Children were discovered deceased inside a bedroom. A 9mm pistol and a loaded magazine were found in the bathroom. Furthermore, it was reported that the husband had filed for divorce in 2016, years before the children were born.
The San Mateo County Crime Lab and the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) have joined hands in the investigation, working together to collect evidence. Meanwhile, the San Mateo County Coroner’s office has taken responsibility for the bodies. They are diligently working to confirm the identities of each individual and are in the process of reaching out to their families.
Media reports indicate that the Indian mission in the country has extended its support to the family’s relatives back in India, providing them with necessary consular assistance.
Life of Indian-origin family
Indian-origin Anand was an IT engineer who had worked at both Meta and Google. His wife Alice was a data science manager at Zillow. Before that, Henry worked at Meta for a year and a half. Earlier, he worked at Google’s office in Sunnyvale for eight years, according to his profile. Anand had recently founded his own AI company, Logits, which provides means to ‘privately train and serve Generative AI models’ to serve their own specific business needs. The couple had bought the $2.1 million home in San Mateo in 2020.
Aftermath
Amid this tragic event, the police shared their belief that the perpetrator was someone from within the household. The San Mateo Police Department stated, “From the evidence we’ve gathered so far, we believe this to be an isolated incident. We want to assure the public that there is no ongoing threat, as we are confident that the individual responsible was found within the residence.” This statement brings a small measure of relief to the community, knowing that this was an isolated incident and not a threat to others.
The neighborhood remains in shock as agencies try to ascertain what led to this unfortunate incident. The police believe that the killings were committed by someone who lived at the domicile. They stated, “Based on the information we have at this time, this appears to be an isolated incident with no danger to the public as we are confident the person responsible was located within the home.”
This tragic incident has left the community in shock and mourning. As the investigation continues, the hope is that more light will be shed on the circumstances leading up to this devastating event. The loss of Anand, Alice, and their young twins is a heartbreaking reminder of the fragility of life. Their friends, family, and the community they were a part of continue to mourn their untimely deaths. As we wait for more details to emerge from the ongoing investigation, our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic event.
