Days after Shankar Nagappa Hangud, a 53-year-old Indian-origin IT professional surrendered to the police in California with a dead body in his car, reports suggest that the body was of his 20-year-old son. Shankar had also allegedly confessed to killing three other people, who are believed to be his relatives, at his apartment in Roseville, Placer County in California, over 350 kms away from Mount Shasta, where he surrendered.
Speaking to KRCR News, Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey said that the man in the car may have been strangled to death but an autopsy would have to confirm the same.
“The individual was obviously emotionally just seemed distraught from what I understand. Contrite. He seemed to be willing to talk to investigators,” said Lopey.
Shankar had arrived at the Mount Shasta Police Station in his red Mazda6 on Monday with a corpse in his vehicle.
Since his surrender, police have attempted to piece together a timeline of the murders. Police believe that Shankar had begun his killing spree on October 7, allegedly murdering a woman and a young girl on October 7 at his apartment at Woodcreek West complex in Roseville. The following day, a young boy was his next victim, stated reports.
According to reports, Shankar drove for several days, making several stops in California before allegedly carrying out the fourth murder on October 13. His last victim, the 20-year-old man, now believed to be his son, was killed on October 13, in a "rural" area of Siskiyou County, where the Mount Shasta police station is located.
The identities of the victims – an adult woman, an adult man, a girl and a boy – are yet to be made public. While they are all believed to be related to Shankar, the criminal complaint identifies the victims only by their initials — JS, GH, NH and VH. The children are believed to have attended schools in Roseville, with at least one believed to have been a student at Silverado Middle School in the Dry Creek Elementary School District. According to reports, the police is working with the Indian consulate to contact the kin of the victims before revealing their identities.
Speaking about the shocking quadruple murder, Roseville Police Department Captain Joshua Simon said, “These are things that just don’t happen everyday and when they do it is upsetting.”
He added, “I’ve been in the business a long time and I’ve seen a lot of unusual occurrences, just upsetting occurrences, but this one here is a whole new level. We are still in shock,” according to KDRV.com.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Shankar had worked as a data specialist, though reports now suggest that he was unemployed. Reports have said he is held without bail at South Placer Jail and faces four counts of murder. The case will be heard on October 25.