KEY POINTS

  • Rajan and Santhalatha were described as the "sweetest couple" by one of the neighbors
  • Neighbors noticed no signs of distress during their interactions with the family
  • Anish who loved to live life to the fullest had just returned from a Dubai trip

A middle-aged couple and their teenage son who was a student at Miami University in Oxford were found dead at their home in Dublin, Ohio during a well-being check on Jan. 18.

Officials were called to the home located along Balfoure Circle just after 2 a.m. ET. Arriving officers said they found three people dead at the home from apparent gunshot wounds in suspected double homicide and suicide, city officials said, WKRC reported. Investigators said there weren't any signs of forced entry, and the family had been dead for days.

Police are currently working on establishing the motive behind the incident. They are yet to provide comment regarding which of the family members is believed to be the perpetrator, People reported.

Neighbors expressed shock after the gruesome discovery. "I was so shocked and so in disbelief when a neighbor called me and gave me this address I said that can't be," a neighbor who had known the family for over 10 years said, adding that they were "absolutely the sweetest couple" she ever met.

"I mean, just adorable, kind, gentle, it shocks me," the neighbor said of the victims Rajan Rajaram, 54, and his 51-year-old wife Santhalatha Rajan who lived with their 19-year-old son Anish Rajan Rajaram.

Another neighbor who knew the family well enough and exchanged regular greetings with them pointed out there were no signs of distress and they seemed like "very normal people."

"It's one of those things where people seem to be doing well," neighbor Edward Howse said. "But the fact of the matter is, you really don't know what's going on in people's lives and that's the sad part."

Anish was a sophomore student at the Farmer School of Business at MUO and a member of two fraternities and was mourned by the university. "We are devastated by this loss of life. Our hearts go out to Anish's family, friends, and all who knew him," a statement read.

His friends described him as a hardworking "smart kid" with leadership qualities. Anish had recently returned home from a trip to Dubai where he conquered his fear of skydiving. People close to him say he believed in living life to the fullest. "He never wanted to regret anything, you know, he wanted to live completely," a childhood friend recalled.

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