Dying with parents: an extreme form of child abuse

Background: Filicide is the tragic crime of murdering one's own child. This report aims to summarize all such cases involving filicide with suicide and analyze possible risk factors pertinent to the city of Hong Kong. Methods: All cases involving filicide with suicide between 1998 and 2010 were reviewed and possible risk factors pertinent to the city of Hong Kong were analyzed. Results: During the study period, there were 14 cases of parents committing suicide and filicide in Hong Kong. Sixteen victims (9 boys and 7 girls, ages range from 2 months to 33 years) and a three-month fetus were involved; only two survived. The parents (12 mothers and 3 fathers, ages range from 25 years to 64 years) all died. The majority of perpetrators (n=7) had alleged history of psychiatric illness or post-puerperal depression. The majority jumped from heights (n=11 off tall buildings, n=1 off a bridge), one father used town-gas, and one couple burned charcoal (carbon monoxide poisoning). Conclusions: These rare but tragic cases involved children of both sexes and all ages. Although psychosocial risk factors may be clues for interventions, the rarity of these incidents and the impulsiveness of the act make preventive measures virtually impossible in a city full of high-rise buildings.