Hillsborough mother charged with murder after two young sons found dead at home
HILLSBOROUGH, NJ – A father arriving home from work called 911 and told dispatchers his children were unconscious and that his wife had done something to them, a chain of events that ended with police finding two boys dead inside a Shell Court bedroom and their mother charged with murder, authorities said.
Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said Hillsborough Township police were sent to Shell Court around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday after the communications center received the call from an adult male resident. The caller reported that after returning home he found his two children unconscious and alleged his wife was responsible.
Officers entered the residence and encountered the caller and the children’s mother, identified by authorities as Priyatharsini Natarajan, 35, of Shell Court. Police then located two deceased children in a bedroom, both boys ages 5 and 7, prosecutors said.
Officers and medical personnel attempted life-saving measures, but the efforts were unsuccessful and both children were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said the children’s identities are being withheld pending positive identification by the medical examiner.
Natarajan was detained by responding officers and transported to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, prosecutors said.
The investigation is being handled by detectives from the Hillsborough Township Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, along with the Crime Scene Investigation Unit and medical investigators from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office. Prosecutors said a postmortem examination is scheduled to identify the victims and determine the cause and manner of death.
Authorities said the investigation has indicated that Natarajan caused the deaths of her two children on Tuesday.
Natarajan was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. She was transported to the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing. Prosecutors said the investigation remains ongoing and no further information would be released at this time.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at 908-231-7100 or Hillsborough Township Police at 908-369-4323. Tips can also be submitted through the STOPit app using access code SOMERSETNJ, or through the Somerset County Tips Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). Anonymous reports will be kept confidential, authorities said.
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Key Points
- Police say two boys ages 5 and 7 were found dead in a Shell Court residence in Hillsborough after a 911 call from the children’s father
- Priyatharsini Natarajan, 35, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and a weapons offense
- The medical examiner will conduct postmortem exams to confirm identity and determine cause and manner of death as the investigation continues
