An Indian-origin tech entrepreneur from Mysuru allegedly shot and killed his wife and one of his sons before taking his own life at their home in Newcastle, Washington, on April 24.
The victims have been identified as Harshavardhana S Kikkeri, 57, his wife Shwetha Panyam, 44, and their 14-year-old son. The family had been living in the US for several years, The Renton Reporter noted.
According to the King County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a 911 call on the evening of April 24 and discovered three bodies inside the family’s townhouse in the 7000 block of 129th Street SE.
Harshavardhana’s wife Shwetha and their son died from gunshot wounds and their deaths were ruled as homicides, while he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, which was classified as a suicide, the King County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The motive behind the crime is yet to be revealed. The couple’s younger son survived the incident.
Harshavardhana, originally from Kikkeri village in Karnataka’s Mandya district, was CEO of HoloWorld, a now-closed robotics company based in Mysuru.
He co-founded HoloWorld with his wife in 2017 after moving back to India. The company, which focused on AI and robotics and was shut down in 2022.
Local neighbors were stunned. “A young family lived in the home,” said Cathy Dunbar in an interview with KOMO News. Deputies remained at the scene until early morning hours following the discovery.
Harshavardhana, a graduate of Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering in Mysuru had earlier worked with Microsoft in US, focusing on robotics.

Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar.
| Photo Credit: X

Pakistan on Wednesday (April 30, 2025), citing “credible intelligence”, claimed that India was planning to carry out military action against it within the next 24 to 36 hours and warned New Delhi that consequences will follow.

Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said the Indian government was preparing to launch an attack on the basis of “baseless and concocted allegations” regarding Pakistan’s involvement in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.

The Minister said that Pakistan had itself been a victim of terrorism and had always condemned it in all its forms and manifestations. He added that Islamabad had offered a “credible, transparent and independent” probe by a neutral commission of experts, but accused India of evading investigation and choosing a confrontational path.

Urging global attention, Pakistan said the international community must remain vigilant, warning that any military adventurism by India would be “responded to assuredly and decisively” and that the “onus of any escalatory spiral and its consequences shall squarely lie with India.”

After defence secretary, the FBI has recently begun conducting polygraph examinations to identify information leaks, as confirmed by a bureau spokesperson.
National security agencies in the Trump administration are intensifying leak investigations, implementing polygraph tests that are creating an atmosphere of fear amongst officials.
Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s revised legal guidelines now permit the Justice Department to access reporters’ personal communications and expand criminal prosecution scope beyond classified material to include “privileged and other sensitive” information, Washington Post reported.
Officials express concern that the broader scope could encompass information that merely causes embarrassment or challenges administrative positions.
“People are trying to keep their heads down,” stated a former FBI field office head, speaking anonymously. “Morale’s in the toilet. … When you see people who are being investigated, or names [of agents who worked on Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot cases] being passed over to the DOJ, it’s what the f—?”
At the Pentagon, Hegseth has threatened of using polygraph, with some senior officials already undergoing tests, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The situation has created significant anxiety. Former government employees on buyout are reluctant to communicate with media while still on payroll. Security clearance holders are cautious about journalist contact due to future polygraph considerations.
“It’s a toxic environment,” revealed one official with top-secret clearance, describing concerns about job security and efforts to silence those who diverge from official positions.
The dismissal of Gen. Timothy Haugh from his leadership roles at the national security agency and US cyber command, along with numerous departures at the department of homeland security’s cybersecurity division, has raised concerns about vulnerabilities to foreign cyber threats.
US President Donald Trump removed Haugh without explanation, allegedly for “disloyalty”, following a meeting with far-right