1/2/24 UPDATE: Investigators hadn't said who killed the Kamals until Tuesday, when the Norfolk District Attorney's Office announced that Rakesh Kamal was found to have fatally shot his wife and daughter before killing himself.
The 18-year-old who was found dead Thursday night alongside her parents inside their Dover, Massachusetts, home, in what has only been described as a deadly incident of domestic violence, is being remembered by the schools she attended as a bright, kind young woman who had her whole life ahead of her.
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Arianna Kamal graduated this past summer from Milton Academy, which said it was heartbroken to learn of her death.
"Aria was a sweet, smart, kind young woman who was just beginning to realize her full potential," the prestigious school in Milton, Mass., said in a statement. "This is a devastating loss to our community."
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The Dover teen was in her first year at Middlebury College, where she had already made quite the impression in her short time on campus in Middlebury, Vermont.
In a message to the school community, Middlebury College President Laurie Patton and Vice President for Student Affairs Smita Ruzicka said Arianna, a Stewart Hall resident, was participating in a first-year seminar called Mindfulness in Education. She was also involved in MiddMyco, an organization for students with an interest in foraging, and with the Women in Computer Science student organization.
One of Arianna's professors described her as "a brilliant student," saying she was connected and engaged in class, and passionate about everything she did.
"She was a beautiful writer and always did things 110 percent," Melissa Hammerle, visiting assistant professor of education studies, said. "She was a deeply spiritual person and dove into the material in the first-year seminar course.”
Hammerle added that Arianna was "an amazing singer,” noting that she recently read at Middlebury’s Lessons and Carols service and sang in the College Choir.
“She loved singing and was interested in going to Italy with the College opera group,” Hammerle shared.
“Aria was beloved by the College Choir,” added Jeffrey Buettner, Christian A. Johnson Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities. “She loved singing together, and her choir community was deeply meaningful to her in her first semester.”
Patton and Ruzicka called Arianna's death over winter break tragic, and offered support to her friends and fellow members of the Class of 2027.
"Once we return from the break, we will work with Aria’s friends and possibly with her extended family to plan an appropriate remembrance," they wrote. "We will share details once they become available."
Police are continuing to investigate the deaths of Arianna and her parents, Teena and Rakesh Kamal.
Police found all three of their bodies around 7:30 p.m. Thursday at their Wilson's Way residence after officers responded to a 7:24 p.m. 911 call from a relative who had stopped by to check on the family and entered the home, discovering one of them dead. The family member, who lives in the area, hadn't heard from the Kamals in one or two days.
Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said at a press conference Friday that a gun was found by Rakesh Kamal’s body, but added that the medical examiner’s office is still investigating the cause and manner of the deaths.
He said law enforcement hadn’t received any reports of violence at the Kamal's address.
“There’s been no police reports, there’s been no problems, no domestic issues, no nothing at that house or in the entire neighborhood that I’m aware of,” Morrissey said. “This is very unfortunate and our heart goes out to the entire Kamal family on this terrible tragedy."
Investigators have said they don't believe there is any ongoing danger to the Dover community related to the deaths.
“Although the investigation is at a very preliminary stage, the evidence available at this time does not indicate the involvement of any outside party, but suggests that this is a deadly incident of domestic violence,” the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in a statement, adding that Massachusetts has a domestic violence hotline at 877-785-2020.
Dover is located about 19 miles west of Boston and is one of the richest communities in the state. Morrissey said the incident shows that domestic violence crosses all economic and social situations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
