Two brothers allegedly killed themselves and four family members in what police described as a murder-suicide pact.
Farhan Towhid, 19, and Tanvir Towhid, 21, both of whom struggled with mental health for years, allegedly killed their parents Towhidul Islam, 54, and Iren Islam, 56; their grandmother Altafun Nessa, 77; and Farhan Towhid’s twin sister, Farbin Towhid. Police discovered the bodies in the family’s home in Allen, Texas, early Monday after Farhan Towhid posted what appeared to be a suicide note on social media.
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A family friend notified police after seeing the 11-page letter posted on social media, according to the Washington Post. Police have not announced when the deaths took place but said they likely occurred Saturday night.
The two brothers allegedly hatched the plan more than a month before they acted on it.
“It looks like the two … sons entered into an agreement that they were going to [die by] suicide and that they were going to take their family members with them,” Allen Police Sgt. Jon Felty told KRLD.
Police confirmed that the 21-year-old brother purchased a gun legally.
Farhan Towhid and his brother had struggled with mental health, he said in his Instagram post, adding that he had suffered from depression dating back to high school and had repeatedly harmed himself. Despite his family trying to get him help, his issues worsened, and he dropped out of school. He told his roommate about his mental health struggles, according to his note.
“The news of this story is devastating, and we express our deepest sympathies to the extended family and friends of Farhan Towhid. The university takes mental health concerns very seriously and has a comprehensive approach to provide supportive services. Anyone with a concern about a university student is always encouraged to call our behavior concerns advice line,” a spokesperson for the university told the Washington Examiner. “Farhan had been a sophomore in the College of Natural Sciences. He voluntarily withdrew from school in January 2021 and canceled his housing contract, checking out of his residence hall on January 31.”
“The University of Texas Police Department has no police reports filed on Farhan Towhid, and there were no concerns reported to our behavior concerns advice line,” the statement added.
Eventually, the pair decided to kill their family and then themselves, Farhan Towhid wrote in the note.
“Instead of having to deal with the aftermath of my suicide, I could just do them a favor and take them with me,” the note reads.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Both brothers had been students at the University of Texas at Austin, while Farbin Towhid had a full scholarship to New York University, according to KDFW. The family was Bangladeshi and immigrated to the United States about 15 years ago.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article reported that Farhan Towhid told his roommate he planned to kill his family, a detail attributed to the Washington Post. A university official called this detail a “lie.”
