A man, his wife, and their toddler son were found dead in the Muvattupuzha river near Piravom over two days in a suspected case of mass suicide, while search was on for the couple’s elder daughter who is feared missing in the waters.

The deceased have been identified as Narayanan, 43, a native of Palakkad, his wife Viji, a 40-year-old visually-impaired woman, and their two-year-old son.

The body of Narayanan was recovered by the police, assisted by Fire and Rescue Services personnel, from near Mulakkulam-Paittakuzhi bridge on Saturday (June 27, 2026), a day after the bodies of the woman and the boy were found near the spot by some local fishermen. A search was launched in the waters after attempts by the police to contact Narayanan after the recovery of his wife and son failed.

The search for the couple’s daughter, who is missing, was suspended on Saturday evening due to poor light and will resume on Sunday (June 28, 2026), police sources said. They added that preliminary investigation pointed to a suspected case of suicide-murder linked to financial distress.

Narayanan and his family had been living in a rented house at Kothamangalam, and they had reportedly approached the police seeking financial assistance to pay the rent.

The family was scheduled to shift to a new accommodation arranged with the help of the police. The Piravom police have registered a case over unnatural deaths and launched a probe into the incident.

The bodies have been handed over to the couple’s relatives after the post-mortem.

(Those in distress or having suicidal tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling any of the following numbers: DISHA - 1056, 0471-2552056, State’s health helpline 104, Maithri - 0484-2540530, Thanal Suicide Prevention Centre - 0495-2760000)