A family of four was discovered dead in an Allen, Texas house in what detectives believe was an apparent murder-suicide, just weeks after losing their toddler.
Mateen Sherwani, 2, and Shaheen Sherwani, 12, together with father Farman Sherwani and mother Layla Sherwani were discovered dead when authorities arrived at the residence in response to a welfare report, according to police on Tuesday. A resident had phoned police after being locked out of their home for almost two hours and unable to get anyone to come to the door.
The four family members were first recognized by the Islamic Association of Allen, who also reported that the family’s 4-year-old daughter perished in a swimming pool three weeks prior.
By email, Allen Police Sgt. Jonathan Maness stated that investigators believe the girl’s drowning “is believed to be a factor.”
Imam Abdul Rahman Bashir, the religious director for the Islamic Association of Allen, told NBC: ‘Waking up to the news of losing a four member family all of a sudden is not something that anyone can be prepared for, family members or let alone anyone in the community, so it’s been a very heavy day for everyone in the community’.
Bashir claims that the drowning of their daughter added to the family’s already difficult circumstances. ‘In this type of situation, it’s not easy for any family. In spite of having many family members here, they were really broken’, he said.
