A female anesthetist from New Taipei City (新北市) reportedly committed suicide over the weekend after a fierce argument with her husband.
The woman, a 40-year-old anesthetist surnamed Ye (葉) who worked at a large hospital in New Taipei City, reportedly killed herself by injecting herself with four types of muscle relaxants mixed with saline solution after arguing with her husband.
The argument began after her husband returned home well after midnight on Friday night. According to sources, Ye threatened to take her life and that of her only son, a second-grade elementary school student.
Worried that her mental state could lead to tragedy, Ye’s mother and sister rushed to mediate the dispute the next morning and took the child with them to give the couple some time to themselves to resolve their dispute.
While her husband was watching TV in the bedroom, Ye locked herself in her son’s room.
At about 8pm on Saturday, Ye’s husband unlocked the door to check on his wife, where he found her lying on the bed without any vital signs. A needle connected to an IV bag was in her hand.
Ye was pronounced dead at Taipei Hospital after several unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation.
Police said they found needles, IV bags and four empty medicine bottles at the scene. According to police, the presence of muscle relaxants among the medications found in the house led them to suspect that Ye brought them home from the hospital where she worked.
Sources said Ye and her husband had been having marital difficulties for about five years, adding that she had suffered from depression in recent years and had once sought medical attention.
Translated by Stacy Hsu, staff writer