The deaths of a wealthy Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter, who were found dead in their sprawling $5 million mansion in Massachusetts in the US last week, have been ruled as murder-suicide by medical authorities after an autopsy.
Rakesh Kamal, 57, his wife, Teena, 54, and their 18-year-old daughter, Ariana, were found dead in their 11-bedroom and 13-bathroom mansion on Thursday. A firearm was found near Rakesh's body. Norfolk District Attorney (DA) Michael Morrissey has described the tragedy as a “domestic violence situation".
A press release issued by the office of Morrissey on Tuesday said that autopsy results issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirm that Teena and her daughter Arianna were victims of homicide by gunshot. Rakesh died from a "gunshot wound consistent with being self-inflicted".
While full forensic and ballistics testing of the gun has not been finalised, the firearm found near Rakesh is consistent with a .40 calibre Glock 22. The firearm was not registered in Rakesh's name and “he was not licensed to possess it, Morrissey's office further said. The final autopsy report is likely to be completed in the coming weeks.
US police investigating the matter
Massachusetts State Police have contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for assistance in determining the origin of the firearm. The incident remains under investigation by Dover and Massachusetts Police.
The grim discovery of the bodies of the family was made after a relative had stopped by to check on the family members after not hearing from them in one or two days, the district attorney said. The slain family members were the only ones living in the mansion at the time of the incident, the DA said, adding that the area, one of the richest in the state, was “a nice neighbourhood, a safe community.”
Morrissey earlier said that the initial investigation indicated the incident was a case of domestic violence and did not initially indicate the involvement of outside parties. The Norfolk DA said that there had been no prior police reports or domestic incidents tied to the home.
"This is very unfortunate and our heart goes out to the entire Kamal family on this tragedy. I hate to see it at any time. I think some of the tensions that people feel in relationships often come out around the holidays," the DA said. “There’s been no police reports, there’s been no problems, no domestic issues, no nothing at that house or in the entire neighborhood that I’m aware of,” Morrissey added.
About the Indian-origin family
Teena and her husband, who also went by Rick, had previously run a now-defunct education systems company called EduNova. The couple appeared to have experienced financial problems in recent years, as per online records. The family’s mansion, estimated to be worth $5.45 million, went into foreclosure a year ago and was sold to the Massachusetts-based Wilsondale Associates LLC for $3 million, as per reports.
Their company was launched in 2016 but was dissolved in December 2021, state records show. Teena Kamal was listed on EduNova’s website as the chief operating officer of the company, describing her as an alum of Harvard University and Delhi University in India. Her husband Rakesh was an alumnus of Boston University and the MIT Sloan School of Management, as well as Stanford University, according to his biography on EduNova's website.
The Boston Globe Newspaper said that EduNova marketed a “student success system” designed to improve the grades of students in middle school, high school, and college. Before working at EduNova, Rakesh held many executive positions in the education-consulting field.
However, things turned for the worse when Teena, who was listed as one of the board of directors for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts, filed for bankruptcy last year, listing between $1 million and $10 million in liabilities. The case was dismissed two months later due to insufficient documentation.
Meanwhile, the couple’s daughter was a student at Middlebury College, a $64,800-a-year private liberal arts school in Vermont. The slain teen, who, according to her LinkedIn profile, was studying neuroscience, was also beloved by the college choir, said Jeffrey Buettner, Christian A. Johnson Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities.
(with inputs from PTI)
