14 February 2024 , 20:40
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A software engineer with a resume including stints at Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and Google, is believed to have killed his four-year-old twin boys before shooting his wife dead in the bathtub and turning the gun on himself in a heinous murder-suicide that rocked a California community.
The San Mateo police were called to a residence in their jurisdiction, which is nestled between San Francisco and San Jose on the California coast, at around 9am local time on Monday. About 13 minutes later, they found four bodies inside.
Local station KTVU reported that the police found no signs of forced entry in the Alameda de las Pulgas home. The two children's cause of death is yet unknown, but they were not shot — leading the authorities to believe they may have been smothered, strangled or given a fatal overdose of some drug.
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The home the family lived in was purchased in 2020 for around $2.1 million in a nice neighbourhood of San Mateo between San Francisco and San Jose (NBC Bay Area)Their mother, 38-year-old Alice Benzinger, who was also in the tech industry working as a data science manager at Zillow, was found shot to death in the bathtub, and 37-year-old Anand Sujith Henry was found nearby, having allegedly shot himself after killing everyone else.
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Henry had used a 9mm pistol to carry out the tragic deed, law enforcement sources told KTVU, with the police confirming that they found the handgun and a magazine for it in the bathroom with the bodies. It had reportedly been legally purchased months ago.
The motive for the heinous crime remains unclear, but many people were concerned about the family, it was reported (Anand Henry/Facebook)
The cause of death of the two children remains unclear, but it was revealed that they weren't shot (Anand Henry/Facebook)A 911 call from a concerned family member sparked the welfare check on the residence, with the boys' grandmother telling the police that she reportedly hadn't heard from the family in a while and was getting concerned. It remains unclear whether it was her or a neighbour or family friend or the children's new nanny who called for the welfare check, as the police told KTVU that multiple people were concerned.
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The couple had reportedly filed for divorce in 2016 but then patched things up and bought their home in 2020 and had twins (Alice Benziger/Facebook)NBC Bay Area reported that Henry had filed for divorce from Benzinger in 2016 but hadn't gone through with it in the end, and in 2020, they purchased their home, worth about $2.1 million, in the Bay Area. They had their children around that time.
No motive exists yet for the slayings, but the police said it was an isolated incident and that there is currently no threat to the public. They also revealed to NBC Bay Area that the police had been called to the home before on multiple occasions but would not reveal the nature of those calls.
The police are still investigating the incident but told the public that there is no threat, that it was an isolated incident (NBC Bay Area)"Based on the information we have at this time, this appears to be an isolated incident with no danger to the public, as we are confident the person responsible was located within the home," a statement from the San Mateo police obtained by The New York Post said. "This investigation continues as detectives work to gather evidence, speak to witnesses and family members and determine a possible motive."
Neighbours told local media that they were shocked by the news, as the family always seemed so nice. They noted that they would often see them out in the neighbourhood taking walks with their children.