Kottayam: A husband and wife were found dead at their rented house in Thonipara near Ponkunnam on Monday morning. The deceased have been identified as Sajan Joseph, a native of Mannar in Alappuzha, and Anusha Joseph from Ponkunnam.

According to the Ponkunnam police, the couple had been facing marital problems, which led to the incident. An FIR has been registered under Section 194 (unnatural death), and an investigation is underway.

Ward member Shakhi Shajeer told Onmanorama that the couple was found with their throats slit while their two-year-old daughter was sleeping beside them. "On Sunday night, after hearing noises from the house, the owner went upstairs to check on them. However, when the noise subsided, he returned. The next morning, he again went up and knocked on the door and called them on the phone, but there was no response. He then contacted the broker and, along with two passersby, tried to look inside by banging on the window. The child started crying due to the noise," the ward member said.

"They then used a spare key to enter the house. As the door was locked from the inside, it had to be broken open. The couple was found lying in a pool of blood, following which the police were immediately alerted," he added.

The ward member said it was the couple's second marriage and that Anusha has a daughter from her first marriage. "The couple had been living separately due to disputes. Anusha had been staying at her residence in Ponkunnam with her mother and daughters," he said. "It has only been a month since the couple reconciled and just eight days since they moved into the rented house," he added. Anusha's child from her first marriage was staying with her mother at the time of the incident.