US: Indian-Origin Man Identified As Suspect In Family Murder-Suicide

An Indian-origin couple and their twin toddler boys were found dead on February 12 at their home in San Mateo city, United States. According to police, the man, Anand Sujith Henry (42) has been identified as the suspect behind killing his wife, Alice Priyanka Benziger (40) and 4-year-old sons, before turning the gun on himself. The police said on February 15, "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."

The couple originally belonged to Kollam, Kerala, and came to the US nine years ago. According to media reports, they worked as software engineers at an IT company in San Mateo city. The couple had purchased the house in 2020 for $2.1 million, records show. 

Police Finds Indian Origin Family Dead At Home

The family of four was found dead in their San Mateo city home on February 12. A relative of the family had called the police to seek a welfare check as the family was not attending calls. San Mateo Police officers arrived at the family's house but were met with no response. The police entered the house through an unlocked window and found the couple, Henry and Benziger dead in the bathroom, while the boys were found dead in the bedroom. There were no signs of forced entry into the house.

Initial reports from the family's relatives stated that the family had died from a gas leak from the air conditioning unit. However, the couple's body was found with gunshot wounds later. A 9mm pistol and a loaded magazine were also found at the scene next to Henry's body. No suicide note was found. The children, on the other hand, had no physical trauma and police suspect that they died from smothering or poisoning. Further investigation is still underway.

Reportedly, Henry had filed for divorce in December 2016, but the proceedings were not finalised. The police confirmed the murder-suicide case three days after the crime. According to reports, Henry suspected killed his children and wife before shooting himself. However, other possibilities of death have not been ruled out. 

"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," the San Mateo police department said in an earlier statement posted to Facebook.