Vaduthala deaths: Postmortem suggests no foul play, say cops

Kochi: Autopsies of the five members of a family who were found dead at their home in Vaduthala, Kochi, were held on Sunday. The family, including three children, was found dead at a rented two-storied house located on Karshaka Road in Vaduthala on Saturday morning. The deceased were identified as Aswathi Nair (36), her mother Sreekumari (58), and Ashwathi's minor children, including two boys aged 14 and 4 and a two-year-old daughter. All are natives of Vilappilsala, Thiruvananthapuram. "As per preliminary postmortem findings, there is no foul play involved. Hanging caused the deaths of the adults while the children died due to poisoning. Samples have been sent to the forensic laboratory for further analysis," said an officer with Ernakulam North police. He added that the primary assessment is that death likely occurred on the night of March 18. Police said that Aswathi's father and brother identified the bodies after which they were handed over to them. The deceased were cremated at the Pachalam crematorium. The bodies were found on Saturday morning. Sreekumari was found wearing a saree. The two younger children were found on a bed and covered with blankets. They were well-dressed, complete with sunglasses. The oldest child was found in another room on a sheet laid out on the floor, dressed in a formal outfit. Police recovered a suicide note from the house as well. The note indicated that Aswathi's husband died by suicide last year after being diagnosed with acute liver disease, reportedly due to a drinking problem. The note suggested that Aswathi was upset over her husband's family blaming her for the suicide, police said.