Police ID New Jersey family of 4 dead in apparent murder-suicide

Jessica Schladebeck and Jager Weatherby, New York Daily News
·2 min read
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Police have identified the family of four who were found dead inside a New Jersey home in what authorities believe to be a murder-suicide. Two of the victims were young children.

Officers discovered the bodies around 4:40 p.m. Wednesday at a residence on Titus Lane in Plainsboro, after a relative called for a welfare check.

The family was identified on Thursday as married couple Tej Pratap Singh, 43, and Sonal Parihar, 42, and their two children, a 10-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl, according to News 12 New Jersey.

Law enforcement sources told the ABC affiliate that authorities believe the adult male killed his wife and kids before dying by suicide. Autopsies were expected to be performed Thursday.

Family members told CBS New York they were shocked by the grisly violence, noting that the couple, both of whom worked in IT, seemed happy. Loved ones added that the husband had always been a very active member of the community and was a part of the PTA at his children’s schools.

“We used to see them, happy family with kids around,” a neighbor told My Central New Jersey. “The kids were always out playing happily.”

“The district was informed by local law enforcement of a horrific tragedy involving one of our Plainsboro families with a Wicoff [Elementary] student and a Millstone River School student,” Superintendent David Aderhold wrote in a letter sent to parents.

“As the law enforcement investigation is ongoing, we are unable to provide any additional information at this time,” he added. “The District joins our community in grief and sorrow over this tragic event.”

Mayor Peter Cantu also mourned the tragedy on Thursday in a message shared by Plainsboro Township Police on social media.

“What happened in our community is beyond comprehension,” the mayor said, calling the incident a “heartbreaking loss of life.”

An investigation is underway, but authorities do not believe there to be any current threat to the community. Anyone with information in the case is urged to call Plainsboro police.