California man says he killed 4 family members, turns himself in with dead body in car

A man who showed up at a Northern California police station with a dead body in his car and confessed to killing that person and another three family members found inside his apartment has been identified, police said Tuesday.

Shankar Nagaappa Hangud, 53, was arrested Monday after he turned himself in to Mount Shasta police and told investigators he had killed the man in his car, Roseville Police Capt. Josh Simon said. Police said he also confessed to killing three other people at his apartment in Roseville, about 420 kilometres south of Mount Shasta.

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Hangud is facing four murder charges, Simon said. He is in custody in Placer County.

Officers found the bodies of an adult and two juveniles Monday at Hangud’s Roseville apartment after Mount Shasta police told them of Hangud’s statement, Simon said.

Hangud left his home in Roseville with the relative found in his car last week, and they travelled to numerous places in Northern California and ended up in Mount Shasta, Simon said.

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It appeared the victims were killed over a few days, though detectives were still trying to piece together when they died, Simon said.

“We’re still working to put that timeline together,” he said. “We can confirm the victim he had in his vehicle in Mount Shasta was an adult male of East Indian descent.”

Simon asked the public to reach out to the Roseville Police Department if they recently saw Hangud’s red Mazda 6 sedan or if they know the family.

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Officials were working to identify the victims. An autopsy will determine how they died, Simon said. He declined to say if the juveniles were children or teenagers or give any details on how they died.

Detectives have interviewed Hangud, but they have not determined a motive, he said.

Hangud’s only prior interaction with law enforcement in Placer County was for speeding in 2016, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Hangud’s LinkedIn profile shows he is a data specialist and had worked for several companies in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.