Kerala women's deaths in US: Parallel probes begin as cops confirm homicide, Malayali community rattled

The Malayali community in California had barely shaken off Onam festivities when they were hit by the news about deaths of two Malayali women -- Ann Mathew and Anjana -- in Milpitas. Initially, news had trickled in about a pedestrian's death in a road accident. Soon, it assumed darker shades of what is now being perceived as a twin murder. The police, who have detained Anila for the crime, for a detailed interrogation haven't divulged any details on possible motives.

Community members are shaken. "All these women were closely associated. When we heard about the accident involving Anjana, we thought Anila may have accidentally pressed on the accelerator. From what we understand, Ann's husband Jacob even rushed to the accident scene to help the victim's family. All of them knew each other. Later, we were shocked to hear about Ann's death," said a Malayali resident in California, who requested anonymity.

According to Milpitas police department, it responded to reports of a hit-and-run accident at 12.01 pm on August 28. The San Jose police department (SJPD), in a release said, it responded to a report of a suspicious circumstance in the 700 block of Linda Vista Street on the same day at 1.53 pm. According to the release, the victim Ann, was found to be suffering from at least one stab wound and the investigation was ruled as a homicide.

The police have confirmed that the victim and the suspect were known to each other and an adult female was quickly identified as the suspect. Ann was pronounced dead on the scene after she was found unconscious and unresponsive. The SJPD Homicide unit is investigating the case and according to police, evidence was located at the scene with assistance from the Santa Clara County Crime Lab and Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office.

The police are piecing together the sequence of events that led to the deaths of Ann and Anjana. The timeline suggests both incidents happened within a span of less than two hours. While Anjana was mowed down by a sports utility vehicle, allegedly driven by Anila, Ann was found dead with stab wounds in her house. Two months ago, Ann and her family had moved to a house in San Jose from the apartment complex at Milpitas.

The shocking turn of events has rattled a community which had got together for a grand Onam celebration a few days ago. They are also concerned about unsubstantiated reports being floated around. "I have spoken to some of their close friends, who have outrightly denied women ever nursing a grudge for each other. They all participated in the Onam celebrations," an association member said, adding that it was normal for people there to change jobs or even lose one and it was nothing to feel bad about.

The residents in California remember Anila as an ardent devout who was actively associated with St Thomas Syro Malabar Catholic Church of San Francisco. Ann, a software engineer, had taken up a job as a tutor. She began her career with a consultancy firm in Thiruvananthapuram. Her former colleagues, who were part of her batch in the firm, were left shaken. "One of our batch mates posted her picture on our group and we were shocked. When we worked together, she was so helpful and friendly," said an IT professional, who is now employed at Infopark.

Ann's last video uploaded on her YouTube channel is a 45-minute-long collection of clips of the Onam celebration held in 2025. She would post cooking videos with her daughters and family. Her Instagram profile captures the way she embraced life -- 'Natural gaiety with a voracious appetite for life', she posted as her tagline.

The families of all the women involved are clueless about what may have happened. "She was here in June to celebrate her father's birthday. We were never told about any kind of stress or strained friendship," said Jerry Sam Joseph, Ann's neighbour.