The Jolly Joseph case, often referred to as the Koodathayi cyanide killings, is a chilling true crime story that shocked India. It unraveled in Koodathayi, a small village in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, capturing the nation's attention with its gruesome details and the startling sociopathy of the central figure, Jolly Joseph. This case is a stark reminder of the depths of human depravity and the complexity of criminal psychology.

Background of the Case

Koodathayi, a relatively peaceful and unremarkable village, was suddenly thrust into the national spotlight in 2019. The case began to unfold when police reopened investigations into a series of mysterious deaths that occurred in the family of Jolly Joseph over a period of 14 years, from 2002 to 2016.

The String of Deaths

The series of deaths in the Koodathayi case were initially believed to be due to natural causes or illnesses. The first to die was Annamma Thomas, Jolly’s mother-in-law, in 2002. This was followed by the death of her father-in-law, Tom Thomas, in 2008. In the years that followed, other members of the family, including Jolly’s husband Roy Thomas (2011), relative Mathew Manjadiyil (2014), and a two-year-old child from the family, Alfie (2014), also died under mysterious circumstances.

Unraveling the Truth

The case took a dramatic turn when Roy Thomas’s brother, Rojo, suspiciously not a victim, approached the police in 2019 with doubts about the string of deaths. This prompted the police to exhume bodies for forensic examination. The autopsy of Roy Thomas's body revealed lethal levels of cyanide, a revelation that turned the case on its head and led to the arrest of Jolly Joseph.