Onam Celebration Turns Tragic: Two Kerala Women Found Killed in California

New Delhi, August 31, 2026 A festive gathering just days earlier was followed by a devastating double homicide in Milpitas, California, leaving two women from Kerala dead and another woman in custody. The victims have been identified as 35-year-old Anjana Hari from Thrissur and 40-year-old Ann Mathew from Thiruvananthapuram. The accused, Anila from Kottayam, reportedly lived in the same apartment complex with her family. The two women were allegedly killed in separate incidents on August 28. According to information shared with their relatives, Ann was allegedly killed inside her apartment at Mill Creek Apartments on Dixon Landing Road. Anila is then accused of calling Anjana to the parking area and striking her with a blue SUV. Police responded to a reported hit-and-run, found Anjana critically injured and later located the damaged vehicle in a nearby parking lot. Ann was found dead inside her apartment. “On Friday, August 28, at 12:01 P.M., Milpitas Police officers responded to 440 Dixon Landing Road after receiving reports of a hit-and-run traffic collision in the parking lot of the Mill Creek Apartments. Witnesses reported seeing a blue SUV leaving the area immediately following the incident,” Milpitas Police said in a post on X. Following further investigation, Anila was taken into custody. All three women reportedly lived in the same complex with their families and were employed in different jobs in the US. The deaths have also drawn a response from India. Union Minister Suresh Gopi said all necessary measures would be taken to bring the mortal remains of the two women back to India. He confirmed that the deaths were homicides but said the motive and detailed findings would become clear only after formal reports are received from US authorities by the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and NORKA. Anjana had moved to the United States in 2021 and is survived by her husband Vijeesh and their six-year-old daughter. Ann’s husband, Jacob, reportedly went to their apartment after learning about Anjana’s death and found his wife unconscious. The fact that the women had attended Onam celebrations together only days before the incident has added to the shock surrounding the case, while authorities continue to piece together what led to the two deaths.