San Mateo family murder-suicide: Cops waited for a day to enter couple's home despite wellness check call

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA: Police were summoned to the San Mateo residence, where a family of four was found dead, on Sunday, February 11, but they postponed entry until the following morning, reported the Daily Mail.

The bodies of a couple and their four-year-old twin boys were found inside the Bay Area home on Monday morning, February 12.

Friends identified the deceased as Anand Sujith Henry, 37, and Alice Benziger, 38, on February 13. Their twin sons were named Noah and Neithan, both four years old.

Police didn’t enter San Mateo home until receiving second call

The night prior to the discovery of the deceased family, police received a call to check on their well-being but did not enter the residence.

They chose to enter on February 12 after another call from the family's new nanny, who reported that they were not responding to the door.

The first call originated from someone close to the couple who couldn't establish contact with the family and requested a wellness check.

Following the second call, the police accessed the $2.1 million home in San Mateo by climbing through an unlocked window, where they made the disturbing discovery.

Police suspect that Henry, Benziger, and their twin children may already have been dead before the first visit by cops, although toxicology results are awaited for confirmation.

Furthermore, police defended their initial decision not to enter, stating that it was not warranted as the door was locked, nothing was visible through the windows, and there were no signs of forced entry.

What were the steps taken by police after receiving the first call?

Following the initial call, police arrived around 11 pm and conducted a perimeter check of the house, including knocking on the door and peering inside, but found no signs of foul play.

They then visited neighboring houses, including Joy W's, who reported that police came to her door around 11:30 pm on Sunday, expressing concerns about her neighbors.

She informed them that she hadn't seen anything unusual and returned to bed. Police spent about an hour in the neighborhood before departing Sunday night.

According to Joy, the following morning, the nanny who usually attended the Henry residence discovered a note on the front door, believed to have been left by the same person who called the police the previous day.

The note instructed visitors to call a listed phone number. The nanny, alarmed by this, went to Joy's house to discuss the situation. Joy advised her to immediately contact 911.

What did the former nanny report?

Ashley Villalobos, 27, a former nanny for the twins two years ago, expressed her shock at the news and mentioned she had never noticed any warning signs with the couple.

In a social media post, she wrote, “My heart aches that their lives were taken in such an unforeseeable incident, I can't wrap my head around how or why. All I have is the memories and silly beautiful moments I got to share with these boys."

She recalled fond memories of playing with bubbles with the twins in the front yard each morning as they waited for the bus to pass by. She also described Anand's excitement when he would join them to play with the boys.

"Alice loved those boys so much," Villalobos added. 

She concluded, "I can't comprehend what went wrong... You never truly know."

This case has been classified as a murder-suicide, with police reporting that Benziger's mother had reportedly been staying with the family until February 11 - the day before the tragic incident.