Hong Kong police investigate suspected murder-suicide case after young man, woman found dead in Tung Chung flat
Hong Kong police are investigating a suspected murder-suicide case involving a young man and woman at a Tung Chung public housing flat.
The force said the pair, both 22, were found in the man's flat in Mun Tung Estate on Tuesday after a concerned friend called police. No one answered the door when the friend, who was worried the man was suicidal, visited the flat at around 11.30am.
Officers and firefighters broke into the home and found the man, a part-time chef, in the bathroom while the woman, a student, was lying unresponsive on a bed. Paramedics found no signs of life in either.
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Initial investigations showed the woman was suspected to have been strangled and also sustained injuries to her hands, with traces of her having been tied up, police said. The man had no superficial injuries.
The Lantau district crime squad was investigating.
The man and his mother were the tenants of the flat, but she had not stayed there over the past few days, investigations found.
Assistant district commander Chue Chin-pang. Photo: Handout alt=Assistant district commander Chue Chin-pang. Photo: Handout
Police found a note in the flat believed to have been written by the man indicating his unhappiness with life and suicidal thoughts. He had also told his friends about his unhappiness previously and had discussed topics related to suicide with them.
Assistant district commander Chue Chin-pang said the man and woman, a student at a higher education institution, first met in 2019 through an online gaming group and had become friends.
The woman left home on Saturday after an invite from the man and the pair visited a gaming centre in Mong Kok, he said. Her family members filed a missing-person report on Monday as she did not return home.
He said officers were still determining the relationship between the pair, although it was believed they were a couple and the case was homicide-suicide.
"I noticed social media posts have indicated they were a couple. We will continue to look into their actual relationship through talking to their friends and reviewing their conversation records on social media," Chue told reporters.
The force would investigate the time of death and postmortem examinations would also be carried out.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. For a list of other nations' helplines, see this page http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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