Indian-American family of four found dead in US

Washington, June 17

A 44-year-old Indian-American IT professional and his three family members, including two minor sons, have been found dead with gunshot wounds inside their home in the US state of Iowa, the authorities said on Monday, shocking the community.

The bodies of Chandrasekhar Sunkara, Lavanya Sunkara (41), their 15-year-old and 10-year-old sons were found in their home on Saturday morning.

Autopsies were pending to determine the official causes of death, but the police said all had gunshots wounds, the West Des Moines police said in a statement.

Chandrasekhar, known as Chandra, reportedly hailed from Andhra Pradesh.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) confirmed that he was an IT professional employee in the Technology Services Bureau for the department.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the Sunkaras,” the DPS said in a statement.

Officers with the West Des Moines Police Department were sent on Saturday morning to the 900 block of 65th Street, where they found the bodies.

The police said they all died of apparent gunshot wounds, but an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death. No arrests have been made so far.

“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,” Sergeant Dan Wade said.

The police said other family members, two adults and two children, were staying in the home as guests. When the bodies were discovered, one of the relatives ran outside looking for help and found a passerby, who called 911.

No suspect was reported to be in custody, but the police said they were confident that there was no threat to the community, it said. — PTI