This week, a Utah doctor killed his teenage son and then himself in a dramatic murder-suicide that has shocked their neighborhood.
Parth Gandhi, 49, and his son, 16, were discovered dead on Saturday morning inside the headquarters of Psychedelic Therapy and Research in Salt Lake City, according to KSLTV.
Gandhi worked as a neuropsychologist and clinic director at the offices, with a “focus on psychedelics,” according to the site.
It is unknown what psychedelic treatment entails or whether the facility promotes the use of illicit drugs.
It is also unknown whether psychedelic drugs or other chemicals were present in Gandhi’s or his son’s bodies, who has not been named owing to his age.
“Our detectives right now, they’re still developing more information trying to figure out, trying to answer the question of what may have motivated him to do this,” Brent Weisberg of the Salt Lake City Police Department told KSLTV on Monday.
Gandhi, according to the publication, addressed treatments for depression, anxiety, and substance misuse on social media.
He also celebrated his son’s musical ability on Facebook in December 2022.
“Just reeling over it — I’m in utter shock. It’s not something I ever see coming from him at all,” Rachel Cieslewicz told FOX13 of the tragedy.
Cieslewicz said that Gandhi previously taught yoga at her studio, Centered City Yoga.
“We had youth groups at our studio. He would volunteer and teach for free just to help the kids,” she said of the doctor.
Denise Druce told the outlet she also knew Gandhi from her yoga and cycling class at 24-Hour Fitness.
“Until we have more details, I’m going to reserve judgment and just hold a lot of compassion in my heart for the people who are left in the aftermath of this overall,” she said.
