US: Indian-origin techie shoots self after killing wife, son in Washington home

A tech entrepreneur from Mysuru allegedly killed his wife and older son before shooting himself with a gun on April 24 at their home in Newcastle (Washington) in the US.

The police identified the victims as Harshavardhana S Kikkeri, 57, his wife Shwetha Panyam, 44, and their 14-year-old son Dhruva, according to the Renton Reporter.

The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) said deputies rushed to the house in response to a 911 call on the evening of April 24, and discovered three dead bodies. It was confirmed that all three had died due to gunshot wounds.

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The deaths of the wife and son were ruled as homicides, while Kikkeri died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and it was declared a suicide, said the sheriff’s office. The motive behind the crime is still unclear.

Kikkeri's younger son survived.

“We understand many questions remain about the events that took place in Newcastle on April 24. An investigation such as this takes time, and our detectives are working diligently to try and piece together what led to this incident. Until this work concludes, the Sheriff’s office won’t have any further updates,” said the KCSO spokesperson Brandyn Hull.

Co-founded robotics company

Harshavardhana and his wife Shwetha reportedly co-founded a robotics and AI company HoloWorld in Mysuru in 2017 after they moved back to India. The company was closed down in 2022.

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Harshavardhana graduated from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering in Mysuru, and was earlier employed in a robotics role with Microsoft in the US.

He hailed from Kikkeri village in Mandya district, Karnataka.