TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three people, including a police officer, were found dead from an apparent suicide in a rental car in central Taiwan on Sunday (April 25).
At 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, a soldier from a nearby military camp spotted three bodies in a white rental car on Guguan Industrial Road in Taichung's Heping District, near the 29.7-kilometer mark of the Central Cross-Island Highway, according to police. Inside the vehicle, officers found a 28-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), a 29-year-old woman surnamed Lin (林), and a 25-year-old man surnamed Huang (黃), reported CNA.
Lin, who was already deceased, was found in the driver's seat with a suicide note that reportedly read, "The illness can't be delayed any longer. The stress is too great. I can't take it anymore." Both men were sitting in the back of the car; one was already dead, while the other had weak vital signs and later died in the hospital.
Police found evidence the three had burned charcoal in a pot inside the vehicle and that they had likely died from asphyxiation. Following an investigation at the scene and an autopsy, forensic pathologists confirmed the cause of death as carbon monoxide poisoning, and there was no evidence of homicide, reported UDN.
Chang was found to be a police officer from Changhua who had worked in the Taipei City Police Traffic Department for three years. Huang was from Taichung, while Lin was from Kaohsiung; both were unemployed.
Lin is survived by a six-month-old daughter. Both the men were the only children in their families.
Police are not certain what links the deceased had, but prior to the incident, the three had communicated via mobile phones and shared their thoughts about committing suicide.
Family members praying for lost loved ones. (Photo from member of public)
Those considering suicide should immediately call the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center at 0800-788995 or Taiwan Lifeline International at 1995. Foreign residents can call the Community Services Center's emergency hotline at 0932-594-578, 24 hours a day.
