Elderly woman dies after stabbing husband in suspected coronavirus suicide pact

Spanish police broke into the home of an elderly couple in Los Cristianos, Spain. The police discovered the 82-year-old woman dead. Her 86-year-old husband was found alive but critically injured with stab wounds. Police suspect that the panicked couple had tried to enact a coronavirus related suicide pact. Failing to execute the suicide pact properly, the woman ended up dead while the man was found wounded.

The elderly couple from Basque country had been staying in their second home in the southern town on the island of Tenerife. The unnamed woman reportedly was the lone caretaker of her disabled husband.

Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the neighbours were unable to check up on the elderly duo. Worried neighbours alerted a security guard who alerted emergency services. Inside the apartment, police found the woman unresponsive while her husband was responsive but severely injured. The unnamed man had been lying in a pool of blood on the bed. In a critical condition, the octogenarian was rushed to a nearby hospital where he is currently under treatment.

Police have launched an investigation to find out what led to the tragic scenario. However, speculations suggest that the couple had tried to enact a suicide pact which failed. Spain's COVID-19 patient count has exceeded that of China. Elderly patients and those with underlying medical conditions are the ones most likely to not recover from the infection.

Fear of suffering from COVID-19 could have driven the couple in their 80s to take the fatal step.

In a likely sequence of events, the woman first stabbed her husband with the intention to stab herself next. Instead of stabbing herself, the woman accidentally slipped and fell. During the fall, she hit her head fatally injuring herself. She either bled out or died due to internal injuries to her head.

The Daily Mail pointed out that the police are investigating the death and stabbing. They have not ruled out any other circumstances. The woman's body has been sent for post mortem examination. When the man's condition stabilises, the police will interview him as he is the sole surviving witness.