Dublin double murder and suicide: Autopsy report rules father died by suicide

Cole Behrens, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
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The bodies of three members of a Dublin family were found early Jan. 18 at their home on Balfoure Circle after a friend of the family asked Dublin police to do a check on their welfare. Police said in a release at the time that the deaths appeared to be a double murder and suicide, and that they "died by firearm and have been deceased for several days."

The father of a Dublin family died by suicide in a double murder and suicide shooting at his home, an autopsy report by the Franklin County Coroner's office released Monday shows.

Dublin police said officers found three family members, father Rajan Rajaram, 54; mother Santhalatha Rajan. 51; and their son, 19-year-old Anish Rajaram, dead last month inside the family's home on the 7300 block of Balfoure Circle after an apparent double murder and suicide.

Rajan Rajaram's autopsy reported he died by suicide from a gunshot wound, and a toxicology report showed no drugs in his system.

The autopsies for Santhalatha Rajan and Anish Rajaram were not released Monday, but police said last month that all three family members "died by firearm and have been deceased for several days." Police said then they could not release information about who may have been the shooter in the tragic incident.

The bodies were found around 2 a.m. Jan. 18 by Dublin police officers who had gone to the home after a friend of one of the residents called police to ask them to check on the welfare of the family.

The family had lived at the home since 1998, according to records from the Franklin County Auditor’s office.  Police have had previous contact with members of the family.

According to Dublin police run sheets, police had been in contact with Rajan Rajaram several times, most recently on Dec. 30, 2022, when he called to report that his cellphone, laptop, 18 Google accounts and 15 Microsoft accounts had all been hacked. The run sheet shows that dispatchers were unclear whether it was a mental health complaint.

Rajan Rajaram worked as an engineer for Cincinnati-based Technosoft Corporation.

The couple had one child, 19-year-old Anish, who graduated magna cum laude from Dublin Coffman High School in May 2021 before enrolling at Miami University. University officials confirmed Anish was a sophomore and accounting major in the Farmer School of Business, and an active member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and Pi Sigma Epsilon.

"We are devastated by this loss of life," Alecia Lipton, a spokesperson for Miami University, said previously. "Our hearts go out to Anish's family, friends and all who knew him."

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, reach out for support by calling or texting 988 to connect with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Those in crisis can call 911.

@Colebehr_report

Cbehrens@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Autopsy rules Dublin father died by suicide,