Woman livestreams her suicide on Facebook, dies before help arrives as helpless friend watches in horror
Warning: Distressing content
A 53-year-old woman stabbed herself with a sharp object Wednesday night and livestreamed her suicide on Facebook Live. Although one of her friends who saw the stream alerted officials, they could not save her.
Sheriff's deputies responded to Merilee Joyce Turner's home in the 21,000 block of Old State Road 4A about 10.15 pm along with EMS, but they pronounced her dead on arrival. The video has since been taken down, and her profile has been turned into memorialized Facebook page.
Miami Herald quotes Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Adam Linhardt as saying foul play is not suspected. An autopsy will be performed before an official cause of death is released to the public. The current autopsy is heavily redacted, but it does state that the Florida woman had possibly stabbed herself.
At least one of her friends watched the video and reached out to the authorities. “Foul play is not suspected,” Linhardt said. “We’re not looking for anybody. It’s obviously self-inflicted wounds but there could have been other factors involved.”
A lot of her friends have been posting condolence messages for Turner, who was nicknamed Mouse by her friends, since the day of her suicide, with one commenting, “Dear friend, you will always have a special place in my heart."
From her Facebook page, Turner comes across as life of the party, with almost all photos showing her laughing and engaged in interesting activies, oftentimes surrounded by groups of people. The profile also suggests that, since February 2017, she has been in a relationship with Kevin Slamon, who is originally from Killashee, Longford, Ireland. The same year, she also started a new job at American Legion Post 154, Marathon, Florida.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)