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Time of India
29-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Karnataka tech CEO, wife, and son found dead in US home; Police suspect tragic murder-suicide
A tech entrepreneur from Mysuru , Harshavardhana Kikkeri , was found dead along with his wife and son at their home near Seattle in the United States last week. Police suspect it was a case of murder-suicide , The Seattle Times reported. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack The groundwork before India mounts a strike at Pakistan India considers closing airspace to Pakistani carriers amid rising tensions Cold Start: India's answer to Pakistan's nuclear threats The King County Medical Examiner's Office on Monday identified the victims as 57-year-old Harshavardhana Kikkeri, CEO of robotics company HoloWorld, his 44-year-old wife Shwetha Panyam, who co-founded the company, and their 14-year-old son. Their bodies were discovered at their townhouse in 129th Place Southeast on Thursday night (local US time). According to the King County Sheriff's Office, officers were called to the scene around 7 pm after a 911 emergency call. Deputies found blood on a front window and a single hollow-point bullet on the street outside the home. Detectives are still investigating the exact cause and sequence of events. 'An investigation such as this takes time, and our detectives are working diligently to try and piece together what led to this incident,' sheriff's spokesperson Brandyn Hull told The Seattle Times. Thankfully, the couple's younger son, who is seven years old, survived the incident. Reports say he was outside the house when the tragedy took place. Live Events Neighbours told local media that the family kept to themselves. Alex Gumina, president of the homeowners association, said they were known to be quiet and private. Harshavardhana Kikkeri originally came from Kikkeri village in Karnataka. He completed his early education in Mysuru and later moved to the US, where he earned a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University . He worked at major tech firms, including Microsoft, where he focused on robotics and innovation. According to a description on his TEDx talk posted on YouTube, Kikkeri held 44 international patents across the US, China, Japan, and Europe. He was honoured with awards such as the Gold Star from Microsoft, an Excellence Award from Infosys , and a Bharat Petroleum Scholarship. He also won several chess championships.
Hindustan Times
29-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
Indian origin CEO allegedly shoots wife, son before killing self in US townhouse: Report
Harshavardhana Kikkeri, a 57-year-old Indian-origin CEO, allegedly killed his co-founder wife Shwetha Panyam (44), son Dhruva Kikkeri (14) and later died by suicide in a townhouse in the United State's Washington last week. The incident came to light when a case of shooting was reported to King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) in Newcastle. The Medical Examiners Office confirmed that three people were found dead at the crime scene, according to Renton Reporter. Authorities said that the CEO's son and wife died of gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide. While his son was discovered with bullet wounds to his head, his wife's body had an extra shooting injury to her torso. Later, Kikkeri died by suicide. Neighbours said the family of four kept to themselves and lived in the townhouse, with the couple's younger son, 7, being the only survivor. Officials did not disclose the motive behind the crime but acknowledged that questions may arise around the circumstances of this incident. They also opted to proceed with their investigation. 'An investigation such as this takes time, and our detectives are working diligently to try and piece together what led to this incident. Until this work concludes, the Sheriff's Office won't have any further updates,' the report quoted the KSCO officials as saying. Kikkeri is a native of Karnataka's Mandya and studied in Mysuru and later in the US. He held a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University and had worked with Microsoft, specialising in robotics. The former CEO has won numerous leadership awards including Gold Star from Microsoft, Excellence Award from Infosys, Bharat Petroleum Scholarship and several chess tournaments. The couple founded HoloWorld after returning to India in 2017, but the firm reportedly ended its operations in 2022. Kikkeri and his family went back to US in 2022 and created HoloSuit, a full body motion capture suit with AI capabilities. The invention made headlines for its capacity to act as a virtual trainer for a human body.
