Mother kills herself and kids after husband's fake death for insurance claim

Apparently, the hubby's family blamed the wife for his death, so much as saying that she was unemployed and spent excessively.

We hear of people and companies doing bizarre things in order to claim insurance money. But one dad’s scheming plan to do this took a heartbreaking twist, resulting in the deaths of his wife and children.

Mother who killed her son and daughter genuinely believed husband was dead

The Chinese man, identified only by his family name He and aged 34, vanished on 7^th September, driving a car that he borrowed. On September 19, police discovered the car in Zijiang River – but not the man’s body.

Unable to cope with her husband’s assumed death, He’s wife did the unthinkable. She committed suicide — taking her kids with her — after uploading a suicide note on social media. The 31-year-old woman, known only by her surname Dai, drowned herself, her son, aged 4, and daughter, aged 3.

According to the suicide note, the mother who killed her son and daughter said that she did it due to constant harassment from her husband’s family. Not only did He’s relatives blame her for her husband’s disappearance, they also complained that she was unemployed and could not keep expenditure in check.

In the suicide note, the mother who killed her son and daughter responded that she remained as a stay-at-home mum to tend to her kids, and that she spent reasonable amounts of money.

Heartbreakingly, she writes in her note that “I want to use my life to prove myself.”

The mother who killed her son and daughter also expressed how much she missed her husband, and how happy she had been in her marriage. The group suicide, she reasoned, would reunite her family.

On 11 October, the lifeless body of the mother who killed her son and daughter, and those of her children, were discovered. An autopsy established that the trio died from drowning.

A picture of the mother who killed her son and daughter, with her husband, has been circulating extensively in social media. | Image Source: Stock Photo

Why He faked his death

On 12 October, the husband turned himself in to the police after learning about what had happened. Police discovered that the man was over 100,000 yuan (S$20,000) in debt towards an online lender.

The 34-year-old husband then bought an insurance policy worth one million yuan, stating his wife as the payee.

According to police reports, he staged his death to claim the insurance payout. However, his wife, Dai, didn’t know he had bought the policy at all, neither was she aware of his plan. She genuinely thought her husband had died.

Police arrested the man on the grounds of purposely destroying property and insurance fraud.

Helplines in Singapore

Parents, this incident happened due to the lack of communication between both spouses and a sense of financial desperation.

Each family has their own issues, and while it may be beneficial to be clear and transparent, sometimes it is very difficult to do so. If you find yourself in a similar position to the above, do know that there is support available in Singapore:

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