An Indian tech entrepreneur allegedly shot and killed his wife and teenage son before dying by suicide at their home in Newcastle, Washington, according to US police. The tragic incident occurred on April 24.
The deceased have been identified as Harshavardhana S. Kikkeri (57), his wife Shwetha Panyam (44), and their 14-year-old son. Their other son reportedly survived as he was not home at the time of the incident.
Police said the motive behind the act remains unclear, and an investigation is currently underway. News crews at the scene reported seeing a child being escorted from the home and comforted by investigators. The King County Sheriff’s Office has yet to publicly confirm the identities of the children.
Neighbors described the family as friendly but quiet, according to multiple media reports.
Harshavardhana, originally from KR Pet Taluk in Mandya district, Karnataka, was the founder and CEO of HoloWorld, a Mysuru-based robotics startup. His wife, Shwetha, was also a co-founder.
The couple returned to India in 2017 to launch HoloWorld, but the company reportedly shut down in 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Harshavardhana later moved back to the United States.
At the height of his career, he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pitch the use of robots for border security. A robotics expert, he also previously worked at Microsoft in the US.
