Woman Throws 4-Year-Old Son From 17th Floor, Then Jumps To Death

In an apparent murder-suicide case, a mother threw her four-year-old son from the 17th floor balcony of their apartment before jumping to her death.

The incident took place Sunday morning in India's northern city of Greater Noida. The woman was a housewife while her husband ran a transport business. According to media reports, the woman's husband was in Sambhal, nearly 80 miles from his residence, when the incident occurred.

“A police team reached and found the woman and the child critically wounded. They were rushed to a private hospital where doctors declared them brought dead,” a senior police officer, identified as Harish Chander, told the Hindustan Times.

Before the incident, the woman had thrown a bowl of hot oil on her sister-in-law's face, the Times of India reported. "The husband’s sister had some burn injury marks on her face. It appears the two women had quarrelled over some issue before the incident," Chander said.

The deceased woman was identified as 28-year-old Priyanka Tyagi who lived with her husband and son. Her sister-in-law, a 17-year-old college-going student who lives in a hostel, was visiting her brother and family when the argument occurred. She was admitted to a private hospital for her burn injuries.

It remains unclear as to what was the reason behind the argument. Police believe when the sister-in-law was attacked, she ran out to call for help, following which Tyagi threw her son out of the window and jumped as well.

Chander said the victim’s husband was on his way home and they will question him regarding the incident.

"We are investigating the matter from all angles,” he said.

An autopsy revealed multiple fracture and organ damage on both the bodies.

Munish Chauhan, station house officer, said: "The victim’s father has filed a complaint against her in-laws for harassment. We are investigating the matter."

In a similar incident, a Washington woman shot her twin daughters before killing herself in October. The double murder-suicide took place in Sunflower Circle in Sudden Valley.

Deputies were called to the area for a welfare check after a roommate at the multi-level residence reported finding his landlord and her two children dead. Detectives determined the mother, 55-year-old Michele Deegan, shot her twin seven-year-old daughters while they were sleeping. She then turned the gun on herself, Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said in a release.

Deegan was involved in a custody dispute about the children, “which appears to be the primary motive behind the incident,” authorities said at the time.