Anand Henry: San Mateo man apparently killed twin boys and fatally shot wife before turning gun on himself
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Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA: A husband, wife, and their four-year-old twin boys were discovered dead inside a Bay Area home on the morning of Monday, February 12.
The deceased were named Anand Sujith Henry, 37, and Alice Benziger, 38, by friends on February 13. Their twin children were identified as four-year-old Noah and Neithan.
It should be noted that police are yet to officially release the identities of the four people.
Initial reports implied the deaths were caused by gas poisoning
The San Mateo Police Department confirmed on February 13 that the Indian-origin couple, who worked as a data scientist and an engineer, respectively, were found with gunshot wounds in the house's bathroom. Beside them laid a 9mm pistol and a loaded magazine, as per Daily Mail.
On the other hand, the twin boys were found dead on a couch inside one of the many bedrooms.
As of February 14, the case is being investigated as a murder-suicide, but early reports had falsely claimed the family had died from gas poisoning.
Police noted that they discovered the grizzly scene after responding to the $2.1 million upscale San Mateo house, which the couple apparently bought in 2020, at around 9.15 am to do a welfare check.
When they got no response after arriving at the home, authorities had to climb through an open window.
According to court documents, Henry—a former software engineering manager at Meta and Google—filed for divorce in December 2016 but possibly never followed through with it.
In June 2023, he started his own Al company after quitting his job at Meta. Prior to that, he spent almost eight years working at Google's Sunnyvale headquarters before joining Meta for a year and a half.
His wife, Benziger, was employed as a data science manager at Zillow, a real estate marketplace company.
Anand Sujith Henry is suspected to have fatally shot his wife
Records indicate that the family moved to the San Mateo house after residing in at least four apartments throughout San Francisco. The children were moved about the time of their birth.
Police noted that they have been called to the residence a few times in the past, but didn't disclose the nature of those calls.
While no note was left at the scene, the authorities are convinced that there's "no danger to the public" and "the person responsible was located within the home."
Detectives are still gathering information, talking to witnesses and family members, and trying to piece together a potential motive as part of this ongoing investigation.
They stated that the San Mateo County Coroner's office is currently in the process of informing the families of the deceased.
Unnamed sources told KTVU that the father shot his wife to death in the bathtub before turning th gun on himself. Previously, relatives claimed a gas leak from the air conditioner was the likely cause of death.
However, both accounts have not been verified, and the last one, which was provided by a relative known only as Claudius, appears to have been largely refuted.
Other sources state that police believe the twin boys were killed by smothering, strangulation, or using a lethal overdose as their bodies apparently showed no signs of trauma, as per NBC.
The reported relative told a foreign outlet named "The New Indian Express" on February 13, "Today we got a call from their maid, who informed us that the couple had been found dead inside their home," and that other family members from India are currently on a plane to the US.
Both Henry and Benziger attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and were graduates of TKM Engineering College. Following that, according to her LinkedIn profile, the wife graduated from the University of San Francisco with a master's degree in data science.
