Geetha Angara was born and raised in Chennai, India, before immigrating to the United States to start a better life for herself and her family.
But the 43-year-old mother, wife, and chemist would meet a tragic fate.
Geetha Angara Reportedly Told Her Husband Her Work Environment Was Hostile
Geetha Angara had several master's degrees and a doctorate in organic chemistry from New York University.
She was highly qualified and worked at the Passaic Valley Water Commission in Totowa, New Jersey for over a decade. She had even recently been promoted to the role of senior chemist.
Geetha reportedly told her husband she was no longer happy in the work environment at the plant and that it had become somewhat hostile because some of her coworkers were resentful of her promotion.
The water commission had been using chlorine to treat the water for years, but Geetha was transitioning the system to an ozone disinfection system, which not all staff members were happy about.
Geetha Angara Never Returned From Trip To Water Tanks
The morning of February 8, 2005 started as a typical day for Geetha. She was last seen at approximately 10:30 a.m. by coworkers who said she was going into the tunnel system to work on the underground water tanks. They were not concerned because Geetha had done this many times and was more than qualified.
But Geetha's family became concerned when she did not arrive home that evening after work. Security guards contacted by her family said her car was still in the parking lot, and a night shift employee found her coat in her office and an uneaten sandwich sitting on her desk.
Three employees returned to work to help look for Geetha, who had not been seen for more than 12 hours at this point. One employee found broken glass in the tunnel system and a slightly open door, but they didn't think anything of it.
The police were eventually called when coworkers searched for several hours, and Geetha still was not found.
Geetha Angara Was Discovered Inside Water Tank The Next Day
On the morning of February 9, 2005, a dive team arrived at the plant to search the water tanks and soon discovered Geetha's body.
The water she was found in was thirty feet deep, with the escape panel five feet above the waterline, meaning there was no way for her to get out. It was 36 degrees Fahrenheit, which would have been shocking to her system. An alarm on the tank should have alerted employees that something in the tank was not working.
By the time Geetha's body was found, it had also been floating in chlorine water for more than 24 hours. This left little hope of finding any DNA, fingerprints, or evidence on her body.
Police Believed Her Death Was No Accident
Police concluded that Geetha's death was not accidental at all, but rather, she had been murdered. She had deep bruises on her neck, wounds on the waist, and an elbow indicating that she fought off an attacker.
Medical examiners found water in Geetha's lungs, proving that she was still alive when she was thrown into the water.
Police felt like whoever killed Geetha worked at the plant because The Passaic Valley Water Commission was a secure facility.
The Case Remains Unsolved Still
While police took DNA samples from all of her coworkers and held extensive interviews, no one has ever been identified as the main suspect in her case. The New Jersey Attorney General's Office has claimed the case remains open but inactive to this day. Some investigators have started to wonder whether it was an accident. Others dispute this claim.
]]>The Inquisitr
