Indian-origin family of four found dead inside house in US' Iowa with gunshot wounds; motive of crime not known

Four members of a family with Indian origin hailing from Andhra Pradesh, including two teenagers, were found dead inside their house in West Des Moines, United States's Iowa state on Saturday morning. The police have found multiple gunshots on the victim bodies.

The deceased were identified as Chandrasekhar Sunkara, 44; Lavanya Sunkara, 41; and two boys, ages 15 and 10, reported CNN.  According to the West Des Moines Police department's preliminary inquiries, Sunkara hailed from Tsunduru of Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district. He had gone to the US for higher studies and settled there along with his family and his parents are said to be living in Hyderabad, Hindustan Times reported.

Representational image. Reuters

The matter came into light after the guests who were staying in the victims' residence saw the bodies and informed the local authorities.

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"We are continuing to work through this investigation. We will follow through until we have answered as many questions as the evidence allows," said Sergeant Dan Wade with the West Des Moines Police Department. No suspect has been identified yet.

Meanwhile, according to the Hindustan Times' report, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s assistant director Mitch Mortvedt said Sunkara worked in the Iowa department of public safety’s technology services bureau, and there were other family members, including two adults and two children, were living in the house as guests along with Sunkara, when the incident took place.

Based on the complaint from the family members, police have registered a case and are investigating.

According to reports, locals told the police that Sunkara was depressed and might have killed his wife and two children and later committed suicide. “This tragedy will impact family, friends, co-workers, anyone that knew this family,” sergeant Dan Wade said in a news release. “We are continuing to work through this investigation. We will follow through until we have answered as many questions as the evidence allows. We are confident, though, that there is no continuing threat to the community,” the police said.

Earlier in May, four members of a Sikh Indian-origin family, including three women and a man, were fatally shot inside their home in a West Chester apartment complex in US' Cincinnati.

With inputs from ANI