RSIPF conducts enquiry into alleged suicide in Honiara

Officers of the Royal Solomon Island Police Force (RSIPF) at the Naha Police Station are conducting a general enquiry into the death of a 22-year-old male person who allegedly committed suicide at the Farm area, Gilbert Camp in east Honiara on 26 March 2020.

An initial report received by police says early in the afternoon of 26 March, the deceased went to a nearby market stall and started drinking alcohol with his friends as he was not happy. The deceased then returned to where he was staying and went to his room.

An hour later his sister received a phone call from their mum who stated that the deceased told her (mum) that when his uncle and his mum return home they will only see his (deceased) body.

Upon hearing what their mother stated on the phone, the deceased’s sister ran to his bedroom but the door was already locked and all the window curtains pulled down. She called and knocked but no respond. She tried to glance through the windows but no sign of him so she came on the other side of the bedroom and looked through the window into the deceased bedroom. Surprisingly, she saw the deceased kneeled down at the corner of the room and a yellow bedcover tied around his neck and the other end was tied up on the knocking of the house walling with his eyes opened.

The sister then called out to the neighbours who came and untied the bedcover from the deceased’s neck and transported him to the National Referral Hospital (NRH) where he was pronounced dead by a doctor.

Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Honiara City Chief Superintendent Stanley Riolo says, “Police were called to the place of incident in the Gilbert Camp area and conducted general enquiry surrounding the death of the deceased.”

“My condolence to the family and relatives of the deceased as they mourn their loss.”

PPC Riolo adds: “As part of the enquiry police have spoken to the members of the deceased’s family members and they are satisfied with the cause of death as suicide. However police will continue its enquiry to complete all avenues before making recommendations on this matter.”

“I appeal to our good people of this country to do the right thing whenever we encounter problems or issues within our communities and families instead of taking our own life. The police and other responsible authorities are there to provide assistance and support in addressing your problems or whatever issues that you may encounter,” PPC Riolo says.