Boston mom pushes 2 kids off 9-story building's parking garage roof before jumping to death on Christmas day
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: A woman from Boston pushed her two young children off a parking garage roof and then took her own life by leaping to her death in a double murder-suicide.
Erin Pascal, 40, was named as the woman whose body was found near the sidewalk alongside her two young kids, Allison, 4, and Andrew, 16-months-old. According to the authorities, she threw the children off the nine-story building before plunging to her own death.
Pascal's vehicle was discovered on the roof of the parking garage with the doors still open. Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins shared on Thursday, "Today is an extremely sad day as we begin to put together the pieces of a tragedy that took place yesterday, on Christmas."
As reported by WCVB, Pascal's husband had called the police to say that the couple had an argument and she was suicidal. Pascal was the director of corporate social responsibility and community relations at Sanofi Genzyme which is a biotech company in Cambridge. She was also a graduate of Brown University and had been a classmate of 'The Office' star John Kransinski.
It is not known what specifically drove her to murder-suicide, but Rollins shared that their deaths highlight the 'invisible struggles' that people face when it comes to mental illnesses. Rollins added, "For a parent to come to a place in which they harm their children in this way indicates that their mental health struggles were severe and in need of immediate support."
"This Christmas Day tragedy demonstrates the urgency of addressing mental health, suicide, and homicide. We have to do more to address these significant public health issues that impact all of us and Suffolk County. Most importantly, I want to extend my sincere condolences to this family," Rollins shared.
The police have not found any suicide notes and there are no known complaints about Pascal.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please phone the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255.