A quiet evening in suburban New Jersey shattered when a father walked into his Hillsborough home and found his two young sons unresponsive in a bedroom. In a frantic 911 call, he told dispatchers his wife had “did something” to the children, setting off a homicide investigation that has now led to murder charges against the boys’ mother. Prosecutors say the case has left a community reeling and raised urgent questions about warning signs that may have gone unnoticed.
Authorities allege that 35-year-old Priyatharsini Natarajan killed her sons, ages 5 and 7, while their father was at work, then remained in the home until he returned. The children were later pronounced dead at the scene, and Natarajan is now charged with two counts of murder and related offenses as she awaits further court proceedings. Unverified based on available sources whether any prior domestic incidents were reported to police.
The 911 call, the discovery at home, and the charges
Investigators say the tragedy unfolded inside a Hillsborough Township house after the boys’ father finished his workday and came home expecting a routine family night. Instead, he found the 5- and 7-year-old siblings unconscious in a bedroom and, according to multiple accounts, immediately dialed 911 and told responders that his wife had “did something to them,” a detail echoed in police records. Responding officers and medics tried lifesaving measures, but the children were pronounced dead in the home, a fact also noted when the siblings were described as being pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities say the call for help came in as a 911 emergency from the family’s Hillsborough address, and officers arrived around 6:45 p.m. on a Tuesday, according to local reports. Prosecutors allege that Priyatharsini Natarajan killed the boys while their father was away, a timeline that matches accounts that the children were found after he returned from work, as described by Authorities. She has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, charges detailed in court filings that also note the family’s home is in a residential area miles southwest of Midtown Manhattan.
Officials have identified Natarajan as a 35-year-old mother who lived in the house with her husband and sons in New Jersey. She was taken into custody shortly after officers arrived and has remained jailed while the case moves forward, with prosecutors emphasizing in court summaries that she is being held in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing. Unverified based on available sources whether any mental health evaluations have been ordered at this stage.
A note, a grieving community, and unanswered questions
Investigators say Natarajan left a note in the home before the boys were killed, a detail that has deepened the sense of horror among neighbors and classmates’ families. Police have not publicly disclosed the full contents of the message, but they have said it was found alongside “ligature materials” in the house, according to a detailed account of the scene. Another portion of that reporting notes that crisis response teams and counselors were made available in the Hillsborough Township School as students and staff tried to process the deaths of two classmates.
Authorities have not released the names of the children, but they have confirmed that the victims were brothers, ages 5 and 7, and that they were found together in a bedroom, details that appear in New Jersey coverage of the case. Officials have also said publicly that they are still working to determine a potential motive and have not shared any prior history of domestic calls to the home, a gap in information noted when Authorities emphasized that the focus is on supporting the grieving family. Neighbors have described the area as a quiet residential community, and one parent told local reporters that their own daughter goes to the same school as the victims, an anecdote captured in video from the scene.
The courtroom fight ahead and broader stakes
As the criminal case advances, Natarajan has entered a plea of not guilty in Somerset County Superior. In that hearing, prosecutors outlined the charges against the Hillsborough mother and argued that the severity of the allegations, along with the fact that two children were found deceased in a bedroom, justified keeping her in custody while the case proceeds. A separate summary of the proceeding notes that Alexis Tarrazi, identified as Patch Staff, reported that prosecutors have signaled they may seek a sentence in terms of life without parole if Natarajan is convicted.
Legal filings identify the defendant as Priyatharsini Natarajan, sometimes shortened to Priy or Priyatharsini Natar in some documents, and they reiterate that she is a Priyatharsini Natarajan who faces two counts of murder and a weapons charge. Another overview of the case describes her as a Priyatharsini Natarajan, Somerset resident, underscoring that the alleged crimes took place in a community that is now grappling with how two young lives were lost inside a family home. Unverified based on available sources whether any plea negotiations are underway or if prosecutors intend to present the case to a grand jury for additional charges.
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