Two women from Kerala were killed in separate California incidents on the same day, with investigators linking both deaths to 32-year-old Anila Baby, who now faces two murder charges as authorities continue examining what led to the killings.
Table of Contents
- Two Deaths, One Afternoon
- The Milpitas SUV Incident
- The San Jose Stabbing
- The Investigation Connects the Cases
- The Three Women and Their Final Known Hours
- What Investigators Found After the Arrest
- The Motive Remains Unresolved
- Law and Legal Implications
- What the Evidence Shows So Far
Two Deaths, One Afternoon
California investigators are examining two killings that occurred in San Jose and nearby Milpitas on August 28, with prosecutors accusing 32-year-old Anila Baby, originally from Kottayam, Kerala, of killing two women she knew.
The victims were identified as Ann Mathew, 39, from Thiruvananthapuram, and Anjana Hari, 35, from Thrissur. According to court-related reporting cited by India Today, the two deaths occurred within roughly two hours of each other, while other accounts place the incidents approximately 90 minutes apart.
Baby was initially arrested in connection with the Milpitas case. After investigators reviewed evidence from both incidents, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filed a murder charge against her in Mathew’s death on September 8, bringing the total allegations to two counts of murder.
The Milpitas SUV Incident
The first of the two incidents occurred at the Mill Creek Apartments in Milpitas, where both Baby and Hari lived.
According to court documents cited by US broadcaster KRON4 and reported by India Today, Hari was walking through the apartment parking area shortly before noon when a blue Toyota Highlander approached. A witness told investigators that Hari appeared friendly and seemed to be approaching the SUV as though she intended to enter it.
Investigators allege that the vehicle suddenly accelerated while Hari was in front of it. The SUV struck her and then collided with three parked vehicles before leaving the apartment complex. Hari suffered fatal head injuries and was pronounced dead.
Investigators reportedly found no tyre marks indicating that the driver had attempted to brake. That evidence forms part of the prosecution’s account of what happened, although the ultimate interpretation of the physical evidence remains a matter for the criminal proceedings.
The San Jose Stabbing
About two hours later, San Jose Police officers responded to a report of suspicious circumstances at a residence in the 700 block of Linda Vista Street.
Officers found Mathew unconscious inside the home with unexplained injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The San Jose Police homicide unit subsequently determined that she had suffered at least one stab wound.
Investigators determined that Mathew and Baby knew one another. The circumstances surrounding Mathew’s death became a separate homicide investigation before authorities ultimately connected Baby to the case.
The two deaths therefore involved markedly different alleged mechanisms: one involving a vehicle in an apartment parking area and the other involving a fatal stabbing inside a residence.
The Investigation Connects the Cases
San Jose police initially investigated Mathew’s death separately from the Milpitas homicide. Investigators later identified Baby as a suspect in Mathew’s killing after reviewing evidence from the case.
That development transformed what initially appeared to be two separate homicide investigations into a single case involving the same suspect and two women from Kerala who knew her.
The geographical proximity of San Jose and Milpitas, the short interval between the deaths and the relationships between the women are now central elements of the prosecution’s case. Authorities have not publicly established a complete explanation for how the two incidents were connected or what allegedly motivated them.
The Three Women and Their Final Known Hours
Friends and relatives have described Baby, Mathew and Hari as people who knew one another closely. According to relatives cited by India Today, the three women attended an Onam celebration and watched a film together the day before the killings.
That detail has added another layer to the investigation because the reported social interaction occurred only a day before the two deaths.
Investigators have not publicly established what happened between the women after that gathering or whether any dispute, confrontation or other event immediately preceded the killings.
The absence of a publicly established motive has left relatives and friends struggling to understand how a relationship described as a friendship could precede two fatal incidents within such a short period.
What Investigators Found After the Arrest
Later on August 28, Milpitas police officers located Baby inside the damaged Toyota SUV near a Walgreens store less than a mile from the apartment complex.
According to the police report cited by KRON4, Baby had blood on her arms and legs and appeared to have suffered injuries herself. Officers reportedly described her as incoherent and unable to answer questions before taking her into custody.
The condition of the vehicle, the alleged collision with three parked cars and the physical evidence recovered after the incident are expected to form important parts of the prosecution’s reconstruction of the Milpitas death.
Separately, evidence gathered during the San Jose homicide investigation led authorities to accuse Baby in Mathew’s death as well.
The Motive Remains Unresolved
The motive behind the two alleged killings has not been publicly established.
India Today reported that there has been speculation that employment-related problems involving Baby in the United States may have played a role. Police, however, have not confirmed that speculation as the motive for either killing.
That distinction is critical. The existence of a possible personal, professional or financial dispute does not establish why the killings allegedly occurred, and investigators have continued examining the circumstances surrounding both deaths.
The prosecution must ultimately establish the elements of the charged offenses through admissible evidence rather than speculation concerning motive.
Law and Legal Implications
Baby now faces two murder charges in Santa Clara County. According to India Today, the charges concern the deaths of Mathew and Hari, with prosecutors filing the additional murder charge on September 8.
Under California law, the distinction between different degrees of murder can depend on factors including intent, premeditation and the circumstances of the alleged killing. The precise legal classification and the evidence supporting each count will be determined through the criminal justice process.
Baby appeared in Santa Clara County court following her arrest and is scheduled to return on November 17, when she is expected to have an opportunity to enter a plea.
At this stage, the allegations remain allegations. A criminal charge is not a finding of guilt, and the prosecution must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt before a conviction can be entered.
What the Evidence Shows So Far
The publicly reported evidence establishes a sequence of events linking two California homicide investigations to the same suspect.
In Milpitas, investigators allege that a blue Toyota Highlander struck Anjana Hari after she approached the vehicle, before the SUV collided with three parked cars and left the scene. Police later located Baby inside the damaged vehicle.
In San Jose, officers responding to a separate incident found Ann Mathew unconscious inside a residence. The homicide investigation determined that she had suffered a stab wound, and investigators subsequently identified Baby as a suspect.
What remains unresolved is the motive, the precise relationship between the two killings and the complete evidentiary chain connecting the incidents. Authorities have not publicly established why the two women were allegedly targeted or what happened between the three friends immediately before the deaths.
The case now moves into the court process, where forensic evidence, witness testimony, vehicle evidence, medical findings and other investigative material will determine how prosecutors seek to establish their allegations against Baby.
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