US police still probing death of wealthy Indian-origin family in Massachusetts

Police in the US are still investigating the deaths of a wealthy Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter, who were found dead in their sprawling USD 5 million mansion in Massachusetts, a media report said.

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.

Norfolk District Attorney (DA) Michael Morrissey has described the tragedy as a “domestic violence situation,” as a gun was found near Rakesh's body.

Police are continuing to investigate the deaths of the three family members, NBC Boston reported late on Saturday.

The report said the medical examiner’s office is still investigating the cause and manner of the deaths.

Teena and her husband previously ran a now-defunct education systems company called EduNova. Their company was launched in 2016 but dissolved in December 2021, state records show.

Their daughter Ariana was remembered by the schools she attended as a bright, kind young woman who had her whole life ahead of her, according to the report.

She graduated this past summer from Milton Academy, which, in a statement, said it was heartbroken to learn of her death.

"Aria was a sweet, smart, kind young woman who was just beginning to realise her full potential," the prestigious school said. "This is a devastating loss to our community," it added.

Ariana, who was in her first year at Middlebury College, a USD 64,800-a-year private liberal arts school in Vermont, was described by one of her professors as "a brilliant student" who was connected and engaged in class and passionate about everything she did.

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.

“She loved singing together, and her choir community was deeply meaningful to her in her first semester,” he said.

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.” The couple appeared to have faced financial problems in recent years, online records show. The family’s sprawling mansion — estimated to be worth USD 5.45 million — went into foreclosure a year ago and was sold for USD 3 million, according to the New York Post.

Dover is about 32 kilometres southwest of downtown Boston, the capital of Massachusetts.