A 37-year-old woman in Chongqing, China, was detained by Chinese authorities after she threw her three-year-old son out of their 22nd floor apartment window on the morning of Apr. 1, 2024.
According to Chongqing police, before the tragedy took place, the woman, surnamed He, suffered from a sudden episode of mania and slashed her mother-in-law with a knife.
Her relatives and neighbours also told the police that she had exhibited some "psychological abnormalities" and behaved "erratically" recently.
He's mother-in-law is currently recovering in the hospital, added the police.
Police investigations are still underway.
He prevented son from climbing back
Prior to He's detention, her act was captured on camera by other residents who lived in the same estate.
In one of the videos, He could be seen dangling a child off the balcony as an injured older woman, presumably her mother-in-law, sat close by with a look of concern on her face.
Although the boy tried multiple times to hang onto the balcony railing and climb back to the apartment, his attempts were thwarted by his mother, who held him with one arm.
He threw son via another window after authorities set up cushion
In another footage, He was seen holding her son out a different window on the same floor.
The clip was abruptly cut after the boy was filmed falling from the window.
A source told Chinese media Sina.cn that He did so after becoming aware that an inflatable cushion had been set up below her balcony.
The mother was trying to throw her second child down the window when Chinese authorities finally managed to break into her apartment and subdued her.
Helplines
If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:
SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)
Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)
SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 6571 4400 (for targets of online harms)
https://mothership.sg/2024/04/mother-throw-child-window-china/
Over here, getting in is easy, it is getting away that is the problem.
