San Mateo murder-suicide was tech couple

A former Google engineer and a Zillow data science manager are the two adults found dead in their San Mateo home on Monday, Feb. 12, along with their twin boys in an apparent murder-suicide.

Anand Sujith Henry, 37, and his wife, Alice Benziger, 38, were found in the bathroom of their home on the 4100 block of Alameda de las Pulgas with gunshot wounds, while their twin 4-year-old boys Noah Henry and Nathan Henry were found in a bedroom, though their cause of death is still under investigation. A 9 mm pistol and loaded magazine were found in the home as well. Police said in a press release they are confident the person responsible was located within the home, and there is no danger to public safety. The identities were confirmed by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office. 

The couple, originally from India, worked for successful technology firms, including Meta and Google, and previously lived in San Francisco before settling in San Mateo around 2020. While local law enforcement had previously been dispatched to the residence within the last few years, one immediate neighbor, a resident of the Sugarloaf Mountain neighborhood over a decade, said she did not notice or hear disturbances from the house.

“The dad was more active in the backyard and with the kids in the front yard,” she said. “I had just seen the little twins on their fourth birthday, so it’s been really shocking.”

She said police came to her residence on Sunday evening around 11:30 p.m. in response to a welfare check made by a family member and asked for details about the family. The nanny had also received communication from the boys’ grandmother, who allegedly lives abroad but had recently visited, to check on the family. Officers returned Monday morning when they ultimately entered the home through an unlocked window and found the bodies. The neighbor added she had thought she heard a firework over the weekend, but realized it could have been a fatal gunshot.

“I feel a lot of guilt about it and wish I could’ve changed the trajectory,” she said. “For the most part, [the neighborhood] is pretty tightknit. We’ll say hi and help each other when we can. … I think we all want to make a bigger connection together since this because we don’t want people suffering in silence if there is something going on.”

Other neighbors affirmed Henry was frequently in the front yard playing with his sons and always seemed like a friendly and attentive neighbor and father. A 30-year resident of the neighborhood said she would often greet Henry when she’d walk past the house and let the boys play with her dog. 

The couple had filed for divorce in 2016 but did not follow through and remained married. According to their LinkedIn profiles, Henry had previously worked at Google and Meta as a software engineering manager, and had recently founded a generative AI company called Logits. Benziger’s page said she was a data science manager at Zillow, a real estate marketplace platform. They had both attended Carnegie Mellon University.

While they are in touch with some family members, police have said they have had challenges locating and communicating with next of kin and are also waiting on autopsy completion to elaborate on additional details.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 (En Español: (888) 628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: (800) 799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.