After leaving a message on Facebook indicating her imminent death, a woman from New Taipei City (新北市) surnamed Lu (呂) recently attempted suicide by taking eight sleeping pills, only to be saved about two hours later thanks to a netizen, police said.
A police investigation said Lu, who is divorced and a single parent, was under emotional stress because of her financial situation and her work.
“Christian requiem masses should be quick; I only want an elegant wreath in the shape of a cross, have the preacher preside over my requiem and I ask netizens who love dogs to come and bless me on my last journey,” her Facebook message said, according to police.
The message, which was posted at 2pm, immediately caught the eye of a student in Chiayi surnamed Lo (羅). After determining that no one knew of Lu’s intended actions, Lo immediately placed an emergency call to Chiayi City’s Changjhu Police Station.
Station chief Lai Ching-chun (賴慶浚) cross-referenced Lu’s personal data on Facebook using the electronic system on the Department of Household Registration Web site and determined that Lu lived in Banciao (板橋).
After contacting the owner of the house, a woman surnamed Chen (陳), Lai was able to confirm that Lu was home and called the local police. At the same time, Chen contacted Lu’s former husband, who rushed over to the rented apartment and, together with police, took Lu to the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, where she was successfully treated, police said.
After Lu was well enough to leave the hospital, she said she regretted what she had done and left a message on her Facebook page thanking Lo for saving her life.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER
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