Police in Allen, Texas have identified all six people who died in an alleged murder-suicide plot. As Law&Crime previously reported, it is believed that two brothers decided to kill their entire family.
The dead have been identified as follows:
- Suspect Farhan Towhid, 19.
- Suspect Tanvir Towhid, 21, his brother.
- Farbin Towhid, 19, who was the younger suspect’s twin sister.
- Towhidul Islam, 54, the siblings’ father.
- Iren Islam, 56, their mother.
- Altafun Nessa, 77, the siblings’ grandmother.
“All members of the Allen Police Department express their condolences to the family and friends involved in this tragic incident,” said a statement from police.
Allen police spokesman Sgt. Jon Felty previously told Law&Crime that officers went to the home Monday morning for a welfare check after a family friend voiced concern about a person at the residence being suicidal. The younger suspect, Farhan Towhid, left behind a suicide note on Instagram, in which he discussed cutting himself, having depression, and disliking the ending of The Office, according to the official story.
Law&Crime located a now-defunct account that was under Farhan Towhid’s name. It included another now-defunct Google Docs link to a letter. The text fit Felty’s description of the suicide note.
In the letter, Towhid said his brother, who also lived with depression, approached him with an idea. They would kill themselves and their family if things did not get better in a year.
Towhid construed his plot as for his family’s own good.
“If I killed just myself, they would be miserable,” the letter stated. “They would spend the rest of their lives feeling guilt, despair, and a multitude of other adjectives that mean sad. Even after they got over it, it would’ve become a permanent facet of their lives (i.e. someone I love killed themselves and I couldn’t do anything about it). Instead of having to deal with the aftermath of my suicide, I could just do them a favor and take them with me. None of us would ever have to feel sad ever again.”
Family friends said that the grandmother, Altafun Nessa, had been visiting from Bangladesh; Farbin Towhid, Farhan Towhid’s twin, had accepted a scholarship to New York University, according to WFAA.
The investigation is ongoing. Officers ask anyone with information contact Investigator Tim Dowd at tdowd@cityofallen.org or phone at (214) 509-4252. Those who want to stay anonymous can text ALLENPD and the tip to 847411 (TIP411).
[Screengrab via WFAA]