Woman, 45, and boy, 14, found dead at Acton, Massachusetts home; 17-year-old held without bail
Prosecutors identified the dead as Sudha Venkatesan and Siddharth Aravind, found Tuesday, August 11, at the family home in Acton; a not-guilty plea was entered for Arjun Aravind, 17.
By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 15, 2026, 1:12 p.m. ETWritten Aug 16, 2026, 4:42 a.m. ET
Developing
This is a developing story. Details reported early are provisional and are frequently revised. Where sources disagree, both readings are given.
Sudha Venkatesan, 45, and Siddharth Aravind, 14, were found dead at the family home in , , on Tuesday, August 11, according to prosecutors. The Middlesex County District Attorney's office released their names.
Police went to the residence after a tutor arrived for a scheduled visit and could not get in, and the teenager's father then requested a welfare check, said. Officers found the two victims inside.
, whom Ryan identified as the suspect, was not in the home when officers arrived, she said. On Wednesday morning, police in the neighboring town of Wayland found him in his mother's car in a parking lot and took him into custody, according to Ryan. Wayland police and the Middlesex County district attorney's office are the agencies that responded.
A police report cited finding at the scene in "un utensilio doblado, posiblemente un cuchillo con mango naranja" — a bent utensil, possibly a knife with an orange handle.
On Thursday, a not-guilty plea was entered on behalf of , who faces two homicide counts and two counts of assault and battery on a family or household member, CNN reported. He was ordered held without bail and to undergo a mental health evaluation, and a probable cause hearing was scheduled for September 11, according to CNN.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Ryan told reporters that the 17-year-old "had recently shown concerning behaviors, including the use of the internet and ChatGPT to carry out searches for theoretical ideas or fantasy stories related to the killing of his family." She said he "used ChatGPT to create fantasy stories, of the kind found in gothic novels, asking questions, creating characters and posing hypothetical scenarios; and it appears that this content was related to threats about the death of his family."
Ryan called it "an indescribable tragedy" and "an incredibly bleak day; obviously, an insurmountable tragedy for the father in this case." She also said of children in the community: "We place an enormous burden on our children… We know they will see and read about this, probably on social media."
Ryan's remarks are rendered here in English from the Spanish-language account of the press conference cited below. The probable cause hearing is scheduled for September 11.
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