'I Don’t Care About Anything': Indian Student's Final Words to Roommate Before Being Found Dead in California After Disappearing

New Delhi: A 22-year-old Indian student at the University of California, Berkeley, who had been missing since February 9, was found dead near Tilden Regional Park in California, authorities confirmed.

The student, identified as Saketh Sreenivasaiah, was reported missing earlier this week. Local police later recovered his body in the Berkeley Hills area. 

According to his roommate, police have indicated that the death is being treated as a suicide.

The Consulate General of India in San Francisco confirmed the development in a post on X, stating that local authorities had recovered the body and expressing condolences to the grieving family.

"The Consulate deeply regrets to inform that local police have confirmed the recovery of the body of the missing Indian student, Saketh Sreenivasaiah. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this profoundly difficult time," they wrote. 

Last conversation with roommate

Sreenivasaiah’s roommate, Baneet Singh, shared details about their final interaction in a LinkedIn post, describing the campus community as “shocked to the core”.

Singh said that while there were no obvious warning signs initially, he had noticed changes in Saketh’s behaviour in the last two weeks. He appeared withdrawn, was eating less, and was engaging less socially. 

Recalling their final exchange, Singh wrote that Saketh had returned from class wearing a red bathrobe, prompting a light-hearted comment. 

In response, Saketh said he had stopped caring about others. 

“I don’t care about anything,” he told his roommate, a remark Singh later said he did not fully grasp at the time.

Roommate’s public appeal

Before the body was recovered, Singh had turned to LinkedIn to seek help in locating his friend earlier.

In his appeal, he wrote that Saketh had last been seen near Lake Anza in the Berkeley hills and urged anyone with information to contact him.

 “Hey all, my roommate, Saketh Sreenivasaiah, has been missing since Monday the 9th, last seen near Lake Anza in the Berkeley hills. If anyone of my connects knows people in the area who has seen him recently, please reach out to me with any information. I'm working with the police dept desperately to make sure we find him. It's a hard time for us right now. Please provide any information that could help, ” he added. 

Who Was Saketh Sreenivasaiah?

Originally from Karnataka, Sreenivasaiah was an alumnus of IIT Madras, where he completed his BTech in Chemical Engineering in 2025. He was pursuing a Master’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, at the time of his death.

The Berkeley Police Department described him as being 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing around 160 pounds, approximately 73 kilograms.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death remains ongoing. 

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