Woman, infant daughter die in fall from Hong Kong housing block in suspected murder-suicide
- Police source says it is believed the woman may have been holding the baby in her arms as they fell, as the pair were found only about a metre apart
- Initial investigations indicated the mother suffered from postnatal depression, according to the source
A naked businesswoman and her five-month-old daughter fell to their deaths from their penthouse in an upscale residential block in Hong Kong in an apparent murder-suicide on Wednesday.
Emergency personnel were called after a security guard heard a loud bang and found the pair lying unconscious on the podium of tower three of the Parc Palais on Wylie Road in Yau Ma Tei at around 4.50pm.
The woman, 34, and her daughter were certified dead at the scene, according to police.
The mother was a businesswoman and held a two-way permit, a mainland China-issued travel document used to enter Hong Kong, the Post has learned. Her daughter was born in the city.
“Initial investigations showed the woman had suffered from postnatal depression,” a police source said.
He said it was possible the two victims fell together, with the woman holding the child in her arms, because the guard heard just one bang and both victims were found only about a metre apart.
Hong Kong mother takes own life after allegedly trying to kill son: police
During door-to-door inquiries, police found out the woman lived with her daughter in the duplex on the top floor of the building. It was locked and no one answered the door when officers arrived.
The source said initial investigations indicated the case was a murder-suicide.
Detectives from the Yau Tsim district crime squad have been tasked with investigating the case.
The incident came one week after a woman, 43, hanged herself after allegedly attempting to kill her seven-year-old son in their home on Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai last Wednesday.
She was helping her eldest son with his homework at around 10.50am when she suffered an emotional breakdown and threatened to kill him, according to police.
Police said an investigation showed the woman had attempted to strangle the boy with a scarf but he managed to break free. She then locked herself in a bedroom and hanged herself with a rope.
The woman was taken unconscious to Ruttonjee Hospital, where she died on Friday.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255.
