Police in the US state of New Jersey are investigating the murder of an Indian-origin couple and their two children who were found dead in their home. Tej Pratap Singh, 43, and Sonal Parihar, 42, were found dead alongside their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old in their Plainsboro home earlier this week on Wednesday.
The Plainsboro Police Department is investigating the matter as a homicide. However, the police is also looking into the tragedy as a possible murder-suicide, local news media outlets for Plainsboro said in a report.
“On the evening of October 4, authorities received a 911 call requesting a welfare check at a residence in Plainsboro. Upon their arrival, the Plainsboro Police Department discovered four dead victims in the house,” Middlesex County prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and chief Eamon Blanchard of the Plainsboro Police Department said in a joint statement on Thursday.
“We are all saddened by this tragic event. What happened in our community is beyond comprehension,” Plainsboro mayor Peter Cantu said.
Footage from News 12 New Jersey showed crime scene tape posted around the family’s home on Titus Lane. The bodies were found when a relative called for a welfare check.
The relatives said that Singh was an active member of the community and Sonal and he appeared to be a happy couple. Singh was a lead APIX engineer for Ness Digital Engineering and Sonal too had a career in IT.
The neighbours said the family was friendly and they were often seen walking around the street. A neighbour said that her daughter used to meet the couple’s daughter at the bus stop to ride to school together every morning. The neighbour added that she texted Parihar but never received a reply.
“It was weird for me to not see her in the morning. They were such a sweet family,” the neighbour said.
“The district was informed by local law enforcement of a horrific tragedy involving one of our Plainsboro families with a Wicoff student and a Millstone River School student,” the authorities of the school the children went to said.
“As the law enforcement investigation is ongoing, we are unable to provide any additional information at this time. The District joins our community in grief and sorrow over this tragic event,” the statement further added.
