Hillsboro, OR: Three dead in Bethany murder-suicide tragedy Second such county incident in two days

Friday, November 13, 2009
By Kurt Eckert
The Hillsboro Argus
The Argus

Family financial troubles and a history of depression may have been the reasons why a 44-year-old Bethany man fatally shot his wife and son before turning the gun on himself, police say.

Washington County Sheriff's Office detectives believe Mukesh Suther shot his 39-year-old wife Varsha and 9-year-old son Ronak with a handgun sometime last week then killed himself, said WCSO Sgt. Bob Ray.

All three were found dead Wednesday inside their home in the 16900 block of Oak Creek Drive, just off West Union Road, about a mile northeast of Hillsboro.

Deputies responded to the scene at about 11:30 a.m., after relatives called to say they hadn't heard in from the family in some time, as they normally did, said WCSO Sgt. David Thompson.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office responded with a welfare check at the home at about 11:30 a.m.

Obvious clues caused deputies to become concerned for the safety of the family and they forced entry, Thompson said.

Detectives are still investigating the incident and will not be releasing any more details until they are more certain of the series of events that led to the deaths, Thompson said.

Children bicycled in the nearby streets, peppering adults with questions as dozens of officers descended on the quiet subdivision, not far east of 185th Avenue. Officials cordoned off the area and conducted the preliminary investigation late into Wednesday afternoon.

Neighbor Amy Thorne said she was completely devastated, as her own son, Quentin, lost a neighborhood playmate and a friend in Ronak.

"I just can't believe this happened. His parents were such sweet gentle people. My heart is broken," Thorne said. "Quentin is taking it pretty hard. I am not sure how long he will last at school tomorrow. Ronak was in his class. This will be something hard for all the kids. So tragic."

This was the second murder-suicide in Washington County in two days. In Tualatin Tuesday, a 39-year-old Gladstone man entered the workplace of his estranged 36-year-old wife, and killed her with a shotgun before turning the weapon on himself. Two bystanders were injured.