Murder/suicide: Four in family found dead in Johor
Man found hanged, wife dead on a bed and children found with strangulation marks
THE bodies of a couple and their two childrenwere found in their house in Mutiara Rini, Skudai here at 2.30pm yesterday in a possible murder-suicide case.
Liquor wholesaler Pubalan Retnam, 53, was found hanged in a bedroom of the two-storey house.
His wife, Jeya Pichamuthu, 46, who was said to have had kidney problems for the past four years, was found dead on a bed beside the living area.
She was found with no injuries. Their son, Sharveen Pubalan, 14, and daughter, Krishaa Priteena, 9, were found dead with strangulation marks in another bedroom with a prayer altar on the first floor.
Iskandar Puteri district police chief Assistant Commissioner Noor Hashim Mohamad Hashim said that a note, believed to be written by Pubalan and meant for his wife, was found in the same room where his body was found.
“There are no outside elements (other than the four in the family) involved in the case.
“The Forensics Unit will determine if the woman’s death was caused by any criminal element.
“The case is being investigated for murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, as well as for sudden death.”
Hashim said the case was likely to be classified as murder, based on the two children’s injuries.
However, he said, police were trying to determine what had happened before and after the murder.
“There are various possibilities here, as to whether someone was mostly likely murdered first, or whether someone died first and it led to someone else feeling devastated.
“But what is definite is that the two children were found with strangulation marks.”
A neighbour described Pubalan as being depressed of late, as he had been struggling to take care of his wife, whose worsening condition had rendered her bedridden.
“The woman (Jeya) was undergoing hemodialysis treatment and she was being taken care of by her husband.
“We believe that the husband may have been struggling with medical expenses,” he said.
Police are also investigating the note written by Pubalan in Tamil, which started with the words: “Jeya, please don’t worry...”
The note was left on a dressing table in the room where Pubalan was found hanged.
Hashim said a friend of Pubalan discovered the bodies when he came to the house as he had an appointment with Pubalan.
“Pubalan was believed to have asked the friend to meet him at the house.
“When the latter arrived, he saw another note with a message that the door is not locked pasted on the windshield of the family’s car parked outside.
“The deceased’s friend went inside house and discovered the bodies,” said Hashim.
A neighbour, Kumaran Chinniah, 46, said Pubalan had moved into the neighbourhood in December and that the latter mostly kept to himself.
“He did not talk much to neighbours. His wife was sick and she had been undergoing treatment for four years. I noticed that he had been depressed for the past two months.”
Kumaran said he saw Pubalan going out of his house at 9am yesterday.
Later, he heard a commotion outside of Pubalan’s house at 1pm and was told by neighbours that the family were found dead.
“It is shocking. I never thought anything like this would happen to Pubalan.”
Kumaran’s son, Saasidharan, 16, said even though the family kept to themselves, he got to know Pubalan’s son, Sharveen, as they played football together.
“I knew that Sharveen studied at SMK Taman Mutiara Rini 2, and his family was very private.
“I only got to know him as he and I would play football at a nearby field. I talked to Sharveen the most, and he and his sister were just like any other children.”