A tragic incident has shaken Kerala&rsquo;s Kannur district after four members of a family were found dead at their residence in Ramanthali, revealing disturbing details during the preliminary investigation.
The deceased include a 36-year-old man, his 56-year-old mother, and his two young children aged six and two. Police said the man and his mother were found hanging inside the house, while the bodies of the children were discovered lying on the floor.
A case of unnatural death has been registered, and an investigation is underway. Initial findings suggest that the children were poisoned before the adults took their own lives. Postmortem examinations confirmed the presence of poison in the children&rsquo;s bodies.
&ldquo;Subsequently, Kaladharan and Usha also consumed poison and later died by hanging,&rdquo; an officer said, adding that the sequence of events points to a murder-suicide.
The bodies were handed over to the family on Tuesday after postmortem procedures were completed.
Police also recovered a suicide note from the house, which reportedly referred to marital discord between Kaladharan and his wife. The couple had been living separately for the past eight months.
According to investigators, a court had granted custody of the children to Kaladharan&rsquo;s wife. However, the children expressed a desire to stay with their father and had returned to his residence shortly before the incident.
In another significant development, police revealed that Kaladharan&rsquo;s wife had earlier filed a complaint against his father, accusing him of misbehaving with the children. The complaint led to a case being registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Police said the children&rsquo;s grandfather was staying away from the family with relatives and was not present in the house at the time of the deaths.
Officials said the investigation is continuing to establish the full sequence of events and circumstances that led to the tragic deaths.

Kannur Tragedy: Poison, Hanging in Family Deaths

Suicide note cites marital dispute as probe reveals chilling details of deaths in Kerala

Kannur Tragedy: Poison, Hanging in Family Deaths

Suicide note cites marital dispute as probe reveals chilling details of deaths in Kerala

December 24, 2025 | 24:15 IST