In a quiet community in upstate New York, a devastating series of events unfolded, culminating in the tragic death of 43-year-old Sarwat Lodhi, a woman of Pakistani descent. The grim discovery began on the morning of Thursday, November 21, 2013, when police were called to a supermarket parking lot in Pleasant Valley. Inside a parked vehicle, they found the bodies of Sarwat's husband, 49-year-old Abbas Lodhi, and their youngest son, 9-year-old Zain. Both had been fatally shot.
The investigation quickly led authorities to the family's home, where another horrific discovery was made. The body of their older son, 13-year-old Mujtabah, was found, also a victim of a gunshot wound. With Sarwat Lodhi missing, a frantic search was launched, with hopes that she might still be alive. Police initially considered her a possible victim who may have been injured and in need of medical attention.
Tragically, these hopes were dashed the following day. Sarwat Lodhi's body was found by a homeowner along a road in Wappingers Falls, approximately 13 miles from her home. It was determined that she too had been shot. Investigators pieced together a timeline suggesting that Abbas Lodhi had first killed his wife on Wednesday, while their children were at school. His cell phone signal was reportedly located near where his wife's body was discovered at around 1 p.m. that day.
Authorities concluded that the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide perpetrated by Abbas Lodhi. They believe that after killing his wife, he went on to murder his two sons before taking his own life. A shotgun, believed to be the weapon used in all the killings, was recovered from the vehicle where Abbas and Zain's bodies were found. While no note was found and a clear motive was not immediately established, some customers of Abbas Lodhi's recently closed pharmacy reported that he had spoken of financial difficulties and family turmoil. The family had moved to Pleasant Valley from Goshen, New York, just a couple of months before the incident.
