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I have read all the posts for this tragic event as well as the article and have some comments I wish to share. I will not be naming any individuals in my post but do have some comments directed towards a few of them as well.
I have worked in the prison system for ten years and have seen several suicides. When an individual states they wish to hurt themselves in any fashion, we strip them down, issue them a tear proof blanket, take all their belongings from them, and put them in a cell by themselves with a 24 hour camera monitored by one officer and another officer must perform 15 minute physical checks until the individual is evaluated by a mental health professional. Guess what??? After all that, if an individual “truly” wants to end their life, they will! There is nothing you can do or say that will change that. In my experience, it is not the individuals who threaten suicide that actually go through with it. Most just want the attention. It’s the individuals who silently give all their belongings away, want to call home frequently, and plan everything well in advance. The average joe who “does” have the loving family and friends.
The mental health professionals I have spoken with over the years have explained to me, that typically, an individual that decides to take their life due to an “event” or a single overwhelming stressor, do so in the place that the event occured. Prision, being a life altering event, obviously is one of those places. I also knew a fellow officer who hung himself in his home because he found out his wife was cheating on him. Another friend of mine in my personal life shot himself outside work, due to his inability to cope with the stress of the government agency he worked for forcing him to make illegal deals. However, I believe in this woman’s case she lost everything “but” her family, had numerous stressors in life, and just wanted to go to a place that was peaceful to plan and carry out her act. A place where no one really knew her and the people there would be unjudgemental of her decision. Sure she pulled people into it, it’s difficult to just disappear. Some call her act “selfish”. Do you have the right to judge this woman, her choices, and her family’s level of support? I don’t think so! How do you think the family would feel if they read your comments? Some posts are judging the guy who took her in, and are trying to blame him and “the gun” for her act! Remember a few lines back about people taking their life over a single overwhleming stressor! Maybe you should be a good neighbor and go see what you can do for him instead of blaming him or trying to figure out his motives. The article calls him “toast” and says, “his life as he knew it evaporated!” I don’t see how that got printed. Does the author have a law degree from Costa Rica? Sure he might have made some bad decisions, but you aren’t the prosecutor, judge, or the jury, so why speculate? Is there a prize for the most colorful article? Maybe those comments should have been saved for opinion posts.
This is an unfortunate event that occurs all too often. It affects family, friends, and in this case, even short term acquaintances. I pray for all the people involved and affected by this loss.
