Man suspected of killing wife, children before shooting himself in US was son of Kerala college principal, school teacher

In an official release on Thursday, San Mateo police said: “Both Anand and Alice succumbed to gunshot wounds. Anand has been identified as the suspect. A 9mm handgun legally registered to Anand was located on the bathroom floor where both adults’ bodies were located. Our investigation shows Alice succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, while Anand 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.”

Police said their probe into the motive behind the crime is still on. “There is no history of violence at home. The incident seems to have happened last Saturday afternoon,” they said.

Police had entered the house through an unlocked window after not receiving a response when they arrived to conduct a welfare check on Monday. Inside the house, they found the four bodies, but could not find any sign of forced entry.

Anand was the son of Dr Henry, who had retired as the principal of Fathima Matha College in Kollam, and retired school teacher Santhamma. Alice, daughter of Benzigar and Juliet, was also from the same district.

Alice’s mother had been with her daughter and family in California for nearly a year, and returned home just a week ago.

When the news of the tragedy reached Kerala, Dr Henry was away at Madurai in Tamil Nadu. “He does not know what actually led to the murder and suicide. His other sons have gone to the USA. They plan to bring the bodies to Kollam for burial. However, no final decision has been taken so far,” sources close to the family said.

Henry and Santhamma had six sons. “Two elder sons died years ago – one in an accident and another in a suspected suicide. All the six sons were highly educated and well settled. They all moved to different parts of the world. While Ananad was in the US, his brothers Ajeesh, Antony and Ajith moved to Singapore, Australia and UAE, respectively,’’ family sources said.

Anand and Alice had moved to the US seven years ago, where Anand had worked with Google before recently launching his own venture. He had come to Kerala on vacation in the past, but had never taken his family along with him.