A local resident 50-year-old woman is suspected of having been involved in a murder-suicide, the Judiciary Police (PJ) informed.
The bodies of the two people were found at their home in the early hours yesterday when the fire department was called to break into the apartment after the people were unable to be contacted by friends.
According to the first respondents at the scene, when they broke into the house, the woman was lying on the floor and very weak but still had signs of life. Her 14-year-old daughter was found lifeless on the bed in another room of the unit located at Hou Kong building in Rua Marginal do Canal das Hortas in the Northern district.
Called to investigate the case, the PJ investigators did not find any traces of a potential fight or struggle. No wounds or signs that force was used were found in the victims.
In the house, the PJ also found multiple suicide notes, allegedly written by the mother as well as traces of some chemical compounds.
Once the forensic doctor arrived at the scene, they found that the body also did not have any scars or fractures that would indicate the occurrence of a potentially violent crime.
The forensics team said that the daughter appeared to have been dead for over 24 hours.
After preliminary investigation, it is believed that the mother had mixed sleeping pills or other similar drugs in the food and consumed it with her daughter, resulting in the death of the daughter, in an attempt to take both of their lives.
The mother was taken to the hospital alive and is currently undergoing medical care.
The PJ is also said to be continuing to investigate the case to ascertain the cause of death and the motives of the mother, who is now considered a suspect in her daughter’s death.
The Social Welfare Bureau encourages residents to be conscious of their psychological and emotional state as well as those of their relatives and friends.
Those in need of support can call Caritas’ Life Hope hotline (2852 5222) or IAS’ counseling hotline (2826 1126).
