Suicide Pact: 8-Year-Old Escapes Mother’s Attempt To Hang Herself And Daughters; 12-Year-Old Child Dies

An 8-year-old girl in India escaped the clutches of her widowed mother, who tried to hang her and her older sister before trying to kill herself.

The incident occurred Monday evening in the southern city of Bengaluru. The unidentified woman was reportedly suffering from depression caused by the grief of losing her husband to COVID-19 two months ago, media outlet The Times of India reported. She was also suffering from a spine-related problem. The 12-year-old girl was helping the woman with her daily chores as she was not physically strong to take care of them, the police said.

Authorities believe the woman convinced her two daughters to enter into a suicide pact, the Deccan Herald reported. However, at the last minute, the 8-year-old girl got scared and changed her mind. She then rushed out of the house and told the neighbors in an effort to save her mother and sister.

The neighbors were successful in rescuing the mother, but could not save the 12-year-old girl. The woman and the 12-year-old were taken to a hospital, where the latter was pronounced dead on arrival. Currently, the woman is in critical condition.

"The woman was not strong enough to even hang her children. We suspect the arrangement was for all the three to hang themselves," said police to The Times of India.

The 8-year-old girl was released into the care of her uncles.

The police have registered a case of a suspicious death, and are investigating the incident to find if the 12-year-old hanged herself or was hanged by the mother.

In a similar incident, a 44-year-old woman from Mumbai, India’s biggest city and one of the most populous in the world, allegedly jumped from the 12th floor of a building with her minor son. In a note left behind, the woman, who was suffering from depression after her husband died of COVID-19, accused her neighbors of harassing her. The neighbors had made several noise complaints against her son to the local police and the housing complex administrators.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.