Who is Anand Henry? San Mateo Family Found Dead

Anand Henry was an Indian-American man in the United States who allegedly murdered his wife and kids in San Mateo in an alleged murder-suicide.

Anand Henry, his wife Alice Priyanka Benziger and their kids, four-year-old twins Noaha and Nathan, were all found dead at their home located in the 4100 block of Alameda de las Pulgas near Fernwood St.

Initial reports out of India claimed the couple died from a gas leak but police said Tuesday the deaths were being investigated as a murder-suicide.

Following their passing, there is a need for more information about what went down and we break down every available information below.

Read on to learn more about Anand Henry and his four-person family, the San Mateo family found dead.

Let’s dive right in!

Who was Anand Henry?

Anand Sujith Henry was an Indian Mechanical Engineer of Malayali ethnicity who died alongside his wife and their two four-year-old kids in their San Mateo, California home.

Anand Henry, 38, his wife Alice Priyanaka Benziger, 37, and their four-year-old twins, were all found dead at their home in located in the 4100 block of Alameda de las Pulgas near Fernwood St.

The incident occurred on Monday, February 12th 2024.

Police received a call for a welfare check to the 4000 block of Alamedia de las Pulgas Monday and were met with a disturbing scene when they got there.

A man, woman and two children were found dead.

“At 9:13 am, officers were dispatched to the 4100 blk of Alameda de las Pulgas on a welfare check,” a post from the San Mateo Police Department on X (formerly Twitter) read.

“Officers entered the home and located 1 adult male, 1 adult female, and two children inside with obvious signs of death. There is no danger to the public,”

The deceased were identified as Anand Henry, 38, his wife Alice Priyanaka, 37, and their four-year-old twins, Noah and Nathan.

NEW: We are at the 4100 block of Alameda de las Pulgas in San Mateo. Sources tell ABC 7 four people have been found dead inside the home with the yellow tarp. @abc7newsbayarea pic.twitter.com/H7rMVxZMie
— Ryan Curry (@RyanCurryTV) February 12, 2024

Anand is the son of the former principal of Kollam Fathima Mata National College, Henry Gorge.

His wife Alice Priyanka was the daughter of late Benziger and Juliet.

According to reports, police had visited the residence on Sunday, February 11th after receiving a call for a wellness check, but after finding the door locked and detecting no signs of foul play, decided not to enter.

It’s not clear at the moment if the couple were already dead or not at that time.

So what do we know about Anand Henry? He is a graduate of the TKM Engineering College in India with a degree in mechanical engineering.

According to LinkedIn, he also attended Carnegie Mellon University and Singapore Management University.

His wife, Alice was also a graduate of the TKM Engineering College with a degree in civil engineering.

They were both working as software engineers for an IT company at the time of their death – LinkedIn asserts the company to be Logits, an in-house, generative AI company he co-founded in July 2023.

Anand Henry previously worked for almost 8 years between May 2014 and January 2022 as Software Engineering Manager at Google then joined Meta for just over a year between February 2022 to June 2023 in the same position.

According to reports, Alice’s mother Juliet had visited the family in San Mateo and left over the weekend.

However, when she got back to India, WhatsApp messages to her daughter and her Anand Henry were not answered, forcing her to reach someone else in the U.S. to contact law enforcement.

“Today we got a call from their maid, who informed us that the couple had been found dead inside their home.

“According to her, the reason for the death was a gas leak from the air conditioner. Police have reached the spot and recovered the body,” a relative Caludius told Indian media.

“Their brothers Ajith and Anthony are on the way to the US, as per police request to identify the body. Alice’s mother, Julliet, was with them until this Sunday,” he added.

Despite the claims of relatives, police said Tuesday the deaths were being investigated as a murder-suicide and that Anand killed his wife before murdering the kids and then himself.

Unnamed sources told KTVU the father (Anand) fatally shot his wife in a bathtub before turning the gun on himself.

Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation told NBC Bay Area that police believe the boys were smothered, strangled or given a lethal overdose because there was no sign of trauma on their bodies.

Anand Henry and his wife were found inside a bathroom, according to police. They both had gunshot wounds.

A 9-millimeter pistol and a loaded magazine were found in the bathroom, police said, and authorities believe the perpetrator was either the mother or the father.

“We are confident the person responsible was located within the home,” police said in a statement.

Anand Henry and Alice Priyanka Benziger – Family of 4 found dead in San Mateo

A family of four, including twin 4-year-old boys, were found dead inside their home in San Mateo on Monday morning, police said.

The victims were identified as Anand Henry, his wife Alice Priyanaka and their kids, four-year-old twins Noaha and Nathan.

Police said they were called to the home on the 4100 block of Alameda de las Pulgas around 9:15 a.m. for a welfare check after the family did not show up for work and school.

Officers entered the home and found the four bodies with obvious signs of death.

Police said there was no sign of forced entry or violence at the scene, and they were not looking for any suspects.

“Unfortunately, we located four deceased people inside the home. One adult male. One adult female and two children,” said Jerami Surratt, public information officer with the San Mateo Police Department.

At 9:13a, officers were dispatched to the 4100 blk of Alameda de las Pulgas on a welfare check. Officers entered the home and located 1 adult male, 1 adult female, and two children inside with obvious signs of death. There is no danger to the public. https://t.co/tqSlbXsNw8
— San Mateo Police Department (@SanMateoPD) February 12, 2024

They said the cause of death was under investigation, but sources told ABC7 News that the family may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a leak in the air conditioning.

It later emerged the two children died from this source but the man and his wife were both found with gunshot wounds.

Police have now said the investigation is a murder-suicide.

Neighbors and friends expressed shock and sadness over the tragedy, saying the family was quiet, friendly, and well-liked.

They said the boys were playful and cheerful, and the parents were devoted and supportive.

“For sure loving,” Phyllis Halili said. “Before the babies were born, we would see the husband and the wife just taking a walk while she was pregnant and then later on when the babies were, just taking them out for a walk.”

Residents who spoke to the media said the area is a quiet, suburban, safe neighborhood. They never thought something like this would happen.

“Streets closed between 41st and 42nd, and I am going, ‘that is my area,'” said Donnita McDevitt, who was on a routine walk around the block when she saw the police tape.

“It is quiet, safe, I walk it every other day at least, and this breaks my heart,” she said.

Resident Bob Mateus grew up in the area.

“It’s terribly tragic, we don’t have anything like that. I grew up here,” Mateus said.

Ronna McMurray said she walks by that house every night.

“We can only assume what has happened – whatever has happened is a major tragedy and you wonder what could’ve been done to avoid it,” McMurray said.

The school district and the preschool offered counseling and support to the students and staff who knew the family.

The Indian consulate in San Francisco also reached out to the relatives of the family in India and offered assistance.

Police said they were working with the coroner’s office to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

They asked anyone with information to contact them at (650) 522-7650 or the anonymous tip line at (650) 522-7676.

Related – Families found dead

Below are some similar stories involving families found dead in recent times in the United States similar to the case of Anand Henry and his family.

Rakesh Kamel was a former principal of a college in India and had moved to the U.S. a few years ago. He and his wife Teena had established themselves in their community.

Their daughter Arianna was a freshman studying neuroscience at Middlebury College in Vermont. She was home for winter break at the time of her murder.

The family was found dead in their $5 million mansion in Dover, Massachusetts on December 28, 2023. A relative made the grim discovery when they stopped by to check on the family after failing to reach any of them.

The cause of death was a murder-suicide involving a firearm, where Rakesh Kamel shot his wife and daughter before killing himself.

A .40-caliber Glock 22, which was not registered to Rakesh, was recovered at the scene.

The family was facing financial troubles before the murder-suicide, according to records.

Their massive home went into foreclosure a year ago and was sold for $3 million. Teena also filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in September 2022.

Maher Kassem Tinley Park on Sunday, January 21st 2024 shot and killed his wife Majeda Kassem and three daughters – Halema Kassem, Zahia Kassem, and Hanan Kassem.

Halema and Zahia, 25 years old, were twins with Hanan being their younger sister.

Maher Kassem was born on June 1st 1960, making him 63 years old.

He was married to Majeda Kassem and they had five children, twins Halema and Zahia, Hanan and two boys who apparently were not around at the time of the shooting.

Maher Kassem is believed to have shot and killed his wife and three children following a domestic dispute at their Tinley Park residence.

The Village of Tinley Park Public Safety reported the incident, writing on Facebook: “Police are in the area 7400 block of 173rd place. They are investigating a Domestic related shooting; 4 victims are deceased. The Offender is in custody and scene is secure. Due to ongoing investigation, we are asking residents to stay out of the area. More updates to follow,”

San Mateo

San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula.

About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster City to the east and Belmont to the south. The population was 105,661 at the 2020 census.

San Mateo has a Mediterranean climate and is known for its rich history at the center of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Some of the biggest economic drivers for the city include technology, health care and education.

San Mateo is located at 37°33′15″N 122°18′47″W (37.554286, −122.313044).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.9 square miles (41 km2), of which 12.1 square miles (31 km2) are land and 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2), comprising 23.63%, are covered by water.

The best-known natural area is Coyote Point Park, a rock outcropped peninsula that juts out into the San Francisco Bay.

The early Spanish navigators named it la punta de San Mateo.

Crews of American cargo ships carrying grain in the bay renamed it Big Coyote.

Sailors had a penchant for naming promontories at the edge of San Francisco Bay after the coyote; across the bay in Fremont are the Coyote Hills, part of Coyote Hills Regional Park.

By the 1890s, the shore area was developed as a popular beach called San Mateo Beach.

In 1842, the Spanish had named it playa de San Mateo. Today, Coyote Point is home to CuriOdyssey, formerly known as the Coyote Point Museum, a major natural history museum and wildlife center in the state.

The animal care facility for the Peninsula Humane Society is also situated at Coyote Point, where the adoption facility is located in Burlingame, CA.

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