Two suicides have been reported in Macao over the past two days, involving a 35-year-old mainland Chinese man found in a Cotai hotel’s bathtub and a 70-year-old Chinese man whose body was found by a passerby hanging from a tree on Rua Norte do Patane, the Judiciary Police (PJ) announced.
The PJ received a notification from the Fire Services Bureau at about 8:30 pm on 1 January about a man found in a Cotai hotel room, suspected of committing suicide by cutting a main artery.
Police learned that hotel staff found that the deceased had entered his room alone in the early morning of 1 January and was not seen to exit or enter the room again, prompting staff to carry out a check. When they entered the room, the man was found naked seated in the bathtub which was filled with water.
The man, surnamed Zhang, did not respond to the staff and bloodstains were found on the bed and bathroom floor, so the staff immediately called the police. Firefighters confirmed the man’s demise upon arriving at the scene.
The police inspected the body and initially suspected that the deceased committed suicide by cutting open the main artery on the inner side of the elbow with a razor blade. No suspicious or possible criminal injuries were found and no suicide note was found in the room where the man’s belongings were in place.
Meanwhile, the PJ received a call from the Public Security Police at 3 am today about a man whose body was found hanging from a big tree in a rest area on Rua Norte do Patane. The man was suspected of committing suicide and was confirmed dead after being sent to hospital for emergency treatment.
According to the authorities, early today, a passerby found the deceased at around 2:26 am and he immediately called the police. After investigation, it was suspected that the deceased stepped on the backrest of a wooden circular seat surrounding the trunk, and then used a white hemp rope to wrap around the branch of the tree to hang himself.
After examining the body, the marks on the man’s neck were found consistent with the size of the hemp rope he used to commit suicide. No suspicious or possible criminal injuries were found.
Furthermore, no identification documents, belongings or suicide notes belonging to the deceased were in the vicinity. The deceased was a slim Chinese male, about 70 years old and 1.7 metres tall.
The PJ has classified both cases as body discovery cases and the causes of deaths are yet to be determined by forensic examinations, with both cases still under follow-up investigations.
The Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) urged people in Macao to care for their own mental well-being, while also looking out for their families, relatives and friends. Those who need counselling, advices or assistance can contact Caritas Macau Life-Hotline on 2852 5222 or IAS Counselling Hotline on 2826 1126.
