A 38-year-old woman who jumped to her death with her 10-year-old son yesterday was suffering from depression, Hong Kong police have confirmed.
Chung Wai-sze, who had been battling depression for a decade since the birth of the boy, left a three-page note in her handbag at the 30th floor public housing flat in Tuen Mun.
According to a police source who spoke to the SCMP, the note outlined the woman’s will and recalled happy and unhappy times with the boy’s father, Lo Chi-leung, 42, who was in the apartment when she jumped.
Police assume Chung grabbed her son Lo Chi-chung before jumping out of the window of Kin Lung House at Lung Yat Estate at 7:30am yesterday morning.
The boy’s father was reportedly in the bath at the time, and no sign of a struggle was found in the flat.
Police are investigating whether the woman’s depression contributed to the incident, while psychiatrists have raised concerns about the availability of mental health care in Hong Kong amid a shortage of professionals working in public hospitals.
If you are experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, please call the Samaritans’ 24-hour hotline on (+852) 2896-0000 for help.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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