Woman accused in deaths of 2 young sons, prosecutors say

HILLSBOROUGH, N.J. — A New Jersey woman is accused of killing her two young sons at their home on Tuesday, prosecutors said.

According to a news release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Priyatharsini Natarajan, 35, of Hillsborough, was arrested on Jan. 13. She was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

The children, ages 5 and 7, had apparently been strangled, police said. The children’s bodies were discovered by their father at about 6:45 p.m. ET inside a bedroom at the family residence.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Natarajan was taken into custody after her husband called 911 and told a dispatcher that his “wife killed the kids.”

Authorities have not released the identities of the two children, pending positive identification by the Medical Examiner’s Office, NJ.com reported.

Autopsies will be performed to determine the cause and manner of death, prosecutors said.

It was unclear whether Natarajan had an attorney who could comment on the allegations, WNBC reported.

No motive was given for the boys’ deaths, according to NJ.com.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the boys’ father said his wife “confessed to him that she killed (the children).”

NJ.com reported that detectives executed a search warrant at the home and found a handwritten note that was addressed to Natarajan’s husband, according to the affidavit.

Mike Volpe, the superintendent of Hillsborough Public Schools, told WCBS that the two boys were students at Sunnymead Elementary School in Hillsborough. He called their deaths “unfathomable.”

“Our priority remains the emotional health of our students and staff. Crisis response teams and additional counseling services are on-site and will remain available for as long as they are needed,” Volpe said in a statement. “We are urging families to be simple and direct when speaking with their children, to limit social media exposure to avoid distressing rumors.”

© 2025 Cox Media Group