Family of four found dead in suspected murder suicide beam in family pictures

06 October 2023 , 22:46

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A family photo was shared last year on the father's Facebook, showing him alongside his wife and children as the family smile for the camera during the Hindu festival of Holi (Image: News12)

A family-of-four found dead in a suspected murder suicide are pictured beaming in family pictures together.

The bodies of Tej Pratap Singh, 43, and his wife, Sonal Parihar, 42, were found alongside their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter in their Plainsboro home, New Jersey, on Wednesday afternoon. A neighbour raised the alarm after noticing the daughter had not turned up at the school bus stop that morning.

Police have launched a homicide investigation and have hinted the family’s deaths may have been a murder-suicide. A family photo was shared last year on the father's Facebook group, showing him alongside his wife and children as the family smile for the camera during the Hindu festival of Holi.

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Neighbours said the family were well liked in the area, with the parents reportedly involved with their children's school PTA. One neighbour told, told NJ.com : "They were such a sweet family". The neighbour explained how she became worried after the daughter failed to meet her own daughter for the bus, as she usually did each morning.

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The shocked neighbour added: "It was weird for me to not see her in the morning." After texting Parihar later that morning, she raised the alarm with authorities after getting no reply. Images from the scene show a police cordon around a large detached home with a police car parked on a double garage driveway.

Tej Pratap Singh, 43, and Sonal Parihar, 42, have been identified as the husband and wife found inside the home on Titus Lane (News12)

Pratap Singh reportedly worked as a technology executive with a New York-based company while he also served as treasurer of the local elementary school’s PTA. West Windsor-Plainfield Regional School District Superintendent David Aderhold sent a community message on Wednesday evening about the deaths of students enrolled at J.V.B. Wicoff Elementary and Millstone River schools.

Aderhold stated in the message: "The District joins our community in grief and sorrow over this tragic event. The District’s crisis team will be available to support impacted students and staff members affected by this loss."

Images from the scene show a police cordon around a large detached home with a police car parked on a double garage driveway (News12)

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Thursday: " This tragedy remains under investigation and autopsies are being performed today. The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office determined that there is no threat to the public."

Authorities have not released any further information on the causes of deaths. Anyone with information or surveillance footage of the area is asked to call Plainsboro police Detective Will Atkinson at 609-799-2333 or Detective Javier Morillo the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745- 8843.

Abigail O'Leary