US: Indian American student Sameer Kamath killed himself, coroner’s office confirms

Indian-origin doctoral student Sameer Kamath, who studied at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and was found dead at a nature preserve this week, reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The 23-year-old US citizen’s body was found on Monday, February 5, at Crow’s Grove Nature Preserve, Warren County Coroner Justin Brummett said. Warren County Coroner Justin Brummett said Kamath’s body was found around 5 pm. Kamath had completed his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue in August 2023. He was pursuing further studies in the same department.

Brummett reportedly said in a press release, “The preliminary cause of death is a “gunshot wound of the head” and Kamath died by “suicide”.” A orensic autopsy was performed on Kamath.

“Through extensive investigation by the Warren County Coroner’s Office in conjunction with multiple other local and federal agencies, we are now able to release a preliminary cause and manner of death,” the release said. A toxicology report is still pending.

The coroner’s office confirmed that Kamath’s family has been notified of the results before the information was released. It added that this is an ongoing investigation with the Warren County Coroner’s Office, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Purdue University Administration and other supporting agencies.

In less than two years, three student deaths have sent shockwaves across Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Neel Acharya, an Indian student who went missing days ago, was later found dead on the Purdue campus. An autopsy conducted on January 29 has revealed that there were no signs of trauma on his body. The cause and manner of death are under investigation.

In 2022, an Indian-origin student studying at Purdue, Varun Manish Chheda, 20, was murdered by his 22-year-old Korean student Ji Min ‘Jimmy’ Sha. Sha, a junior cybersecurity major and international student, was arrested on murder charges. Chheda, studying data science at the university, succumbed to “multiple sharp force traumatic injuries.”

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).