Candlelight Vigil Planned Tonight For Towhid Family Killed In Allen Murder-Suicide
ALLEN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A candlelight vigil is planned tonight in memory of the Towhid family of Allen.
All six family members died on April 5, allegedly at the hands of Farhan Towhid, 19, and his older brother Tanvir, 21.
Police found the brother's bodies in their home, along with their sister Farbin Towhid, their parents Iren and Towhidul Islam and grandmother, Altafun Nessa.
All six had died from gunshot wounds.
The family was part of a tight knit Bangladeshi community.
"When I heard the news I couldn't breathe for 20 to 30 minutes. How could it happen in a community like us? We're so close and we visit each other and talk to each other, we have dinner and stuff, but inside the house... his children were unhappy for some reason and one thing led to another," said family friend Shawn Ahsan. "We are heartbroken. I don't know what else to say... "
Police said Farhan Towhid linked a lengthy suicide note from his Instagram. In it he writes "Hey everyone. I killed myself and my family." He goes on to talk about how he has battled depression since 9th grade and was a cutter.
In the suicide note, Farhan Towhid said in February of this year, his older brother — who was also battling depression — made a proposition. He wrote that his brother said, "If we can't fix everything in a year we'll kill ourselves and our family."
The letter details the brother's plan.
"The plan was simple. We get two guns. I take one and shoot my sister and grandma, while my brother kills our parents with the other. Then we take ourselves out."
No explanation apart from his depression are mentioned as to why Farhan Towhid and Tanvir allegedly decided to carry out the plan.
"If I killed just myself, they would be miserable," he wrote. "I love my family. I genuinely do. And that's exactly why I decided to kill them."
Leigh Richardson, clinical director of the Brain Performance Center of Dallas told CBS 11 News, "I don't think he was talking about, look at me, Look at me. I think he was talking about, I need to be heard. I need somebody to understand what this is like, so that somebody else can get help from it," about Towhid's alleged note. "I think we all need to recognize that depression is very common, and it occurs at very early ages. And if you have a child or a sibling, or a partner, or just a friend that you think may be experiencing depression, reach out," Richardson added.
Towhid's alleged suicide note was posted for a time on Google Docs but was removed with a disclaimer from Google stating, "We're sorry. You can't access this item because it is in violation of our Terms of Service."
The University of Texas at Austin released a statement on the deaths of Farhan and Tanvir Towhid, who were both former students at the school.
"Today we received the extremely sad news about the deaths of two former students, Farhan Towhid and his brother Tanvir Towhid, and their family. The news is devastating to our university. We express our deepest sympathies to their extended family and friends."
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- National Institute Of Mental Health Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Self-Harm Crisis Line
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center
- Youth Suicide Prevention Help
Allen police said they had no prior interaction with the family that would give any indication such a tragedy could happen. They are asking for anyone who may have additional information about the incident to please contact Investigator Tim Dowd at tdowd@cityofallen.org or by phone at 214.509.4252.
