NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Bay Area, CA, August 30, 2026: Two women were killed within hours of each other Friday in neighboring San Francisco Bay Area cities, one in a fatal hit-and-run in Milpitas and the other in a stabbing in San Jose, with a woman known to the victims emerging as a suspect, according to authorities and reports from the victims’ families in India.
The two women have been identified by relatives and Indian media as Anjana Vijeesh, 35, and Ann Mary Mathew, 40, both originally from Kerala, India. California authorities have not yet publicly released their identities.
The first incident was reported shortly after noon on Aug. 28 at the Mill Creek Apartments at 440 Dixon Landing Road in Milpitas.
Witnesses told police they saw a blue SUV leave the area immediately after a woman was struck in the apartment complex parking lot. Responding officers found a 35-year-old woman with significant injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers searching the surrounding area located a blue SUV in a nearby parking lot with damage consistent with a collision. The driver, identified by police only as a 32-year-old Milpitas resident, was taken into custody. Milpitas police have not publicly identified the woman or said whether investigators believe the collision was intentional.
Family members in Kerala identified the woman who died as Anjana, a native of the Thrissur district who had reportedly been working as a teacher in California for several years. She lived in the United States with her husband, Vijeesh, and their young daughter, according to Indian media reports.
Less than two hours after the Milpitas incident, at approximately 1:53 p.m., San Jose police were dispatched to a residence in the 700 block of Linda Vista Street following a report of suspicious circumstances.
Officers found an unconscious woman inside the residence. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators initially encountered what police described as unknown injuries, but evidence gathered with assistance from the Santa Clara County Crime Lab and Medical Examiner’s Office established that the woman had suffered at least one stab wound. Her death was subsequently ruled a homicide.
Police said preliminary evidence showed that the victim and suspect knew each other and that an adult woman was quickly identified as the suspect. Authorities have not released the suspect’s identity.
The case is being investigated as San Jose’s 17th homicide of 2026. Police said the motive and circumstances remain under investigation.
Relatives in India have identified the stabbing victim as Ann Mary Mathew, 40, who had reportedly lived in the United States for about a decade and worked as an engineer. She was married to Pallathra Jacob, according to Indian media reports.
Family members have also identified the woman they believe was involved in both deaths as Anila, described as a friend of Anjana and Mathew. Indian media reports citing relatives say the three women knew one another closely.
Some family accounts allege that Mathew was stabbed inside her residence and that Anjana was subsequently deliberately struck with a vehicle. Those details, including whether the two deaths are officially considered connected, have not yet been confirmed by California law enforcement.
Milpitas police have publicly characterized Anjana’s death as a fatal hit-and-run investigation, while San Jose police have separately classified Mathew’s death as a homicide.
Relatives told Indian media that the three women had attended an Onam celebration organized by the local Malayali community just days before the deaths. Family members said they were unaware of any serious dispute among the women before the incidents.
One relative of Mathew told Indian media that there may have been a job-related disagreement involving the suspect. However, another relative said the family had received no information establishing a motive. San Jose police have made no public determination about what prompted the killing.
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to formally release the victims’ identities following its procedures.
San Jose police are asking anyone with information about the homicide to contact the department’s Homicide Unit at 408-277-5283. Information about the Milpitas case can be provided to Milpitas police at 408-586-2400.
The investigations remain ongoing.
