A mother and her three-year-old son could have been dead for up to two weeks before their bodies were found yesterday in a suspected murder suicide.
Police believe Poorna Kaameshwari Sivaraj, 36, and son Kailash Kuha Raj had been ‘dead for some time’ after they had not been heard from or seen since September 21.
Officers forced their way into the family’s fourth-floor flat in Brentford, West London, in the early hours of yesterday after concerns were raised for their welfare.
Mrs Sivaraj’s husband Kuha Raj Sithamparanathan, 42, is thought to have stabbed himself when police broke in and was treated by paramedics before dying there.
His wife and son were already dead, and their pet black cockapoo dog had been killed. Detectives are not looking for anybody in connection with the deaths.
Scotland Yard officers initially received a call late on Sunday from a family member raising concerns about the welfare of Mrs Sivaraj.
They went to the home several times in the following hours but got no reply, and fears heightened after speaking to neighbours on Monday so they forced entry.
The bodies were found at 1am yesterday. Neighbours said the couple, Malaysian-born Tamils who wed in Kuala Lumpur in 2015, were frequently heard arguing.
One local resident, who lives on the sixth floor of their block, said: ‘Things got really bad between them, especially during the lockdown.
‘They are one of the few couples with a young child in our block and you could hear the screaming at each other, sometimes for very long periods. One day she threw his stuff out of the window and told him to take his medicine.’
Fahad Alsharamy, who lives next door to the family, said: ‘In lockdown they fought a bit but it’s normal for families. But for one week it has been very quiet.
‘He was a nice guy and good man, quiet and cared about his family. I spoke to them and they were friendly and they would say hello all the time.’
More neighbours paid tribute to the ‘lovely’ family as they expressed their shock at the news.
One, who gave her name as Jamila and lives in a neighbouring block, told MailOnline: ‘It’s tragic. They loved their dog and I’d see them all the time taking him out for walks.
‘They were a lovely family. The officers told me that there was blood all over the flat and that the dog had also been killed.’
Police said the family’s next of kin have been informed and post-mortem examinations are scheduled to begin tomorrow.
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘Although we are in the infancy of this investigation is appears that Poorna and Kailash had been dead for some time.
‘This is a murder investigation and my team will work diligently to establish the sequence of events that led to their murders and the death of Kuha Raj Sithamparanathan.
‘Our initial enquiries have established that Poorna and Kailash had not been seen or heard from for some time, perhaps since around September 21.
‘We know the family often walked their dog, a poodle cross breed, in and around the local area and I would ask anyone who saw them at any time in the last month to contact police so we can begin to build a full picture of their lives.’
The Directorate of Professional Standards has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because Mr Sithamparanathan is thought to have killed himself when officers entered.
DCI Harding added: ‘I know I speak on behalf of all the officers in my team that words cannot sufficiently sum up the devastation that this horrific incident will have on the families of those involved.
‘However, I can reassure them that we will do all we can to provide them with the answers they need about what has happened here.’
MailOnline
