An elderly man in Hong Kong is believed to have killed his ex-wife before hanging himself at a public housing estate, as he reportedly felt “hopeless” after their separation following years of marital conflict worsened by their son’s suicide, police have revealed.
Sau Mau Ping Assistant District Commander of Crime Terry Wan King-hang said on Thursday that the force believed the 77-year-old man killed his 71-year-old ex-wife in a Po Tat Estate flat before taking his own life on Wednesday.
Police first received a report from the man’s younger brother at about 4.13pm on Wednesday. The caller had become concerned after receiving a photograph of what appeared to be a suicide note from his older brother.
The brother had attempted to reach the man at the Sau Mau Ping flat but was unsuccessful, before reaching out to police for help.
Wan added that the woman had recently helped the man move into a rented subdivided flat in Wong Tai Sin, which investigators believe may have served as a trigger by reinforcing the finality of the separation.
“The male deceased felt hopeless about life because the situation had reached a point where the two would never see each other again,” the officer said.
Police said the man, surnamed Lau, was found hanging in the kitchen, while the woman, surnamed Tsui, was discovered lying on the floor beside a bed in a bedroom.
A preliminary forensic examination found the man had obvious ligature marks on his neck.
The woman had swelling and bruising on the left side of her face, blood clots and petechial haemorrhaging on her neck, suggesting possible suffocation, police said.
She also had injuries on both forearms, believed to be defensive wounds sustained while trying to ward off an attack.
Wan said investigators believed the woman may have died either from blunt-force trauma to the head or asphyxiation.
Police estimated that the woman died between 1am and 2am on Wednesday, while the man is believed to have died hours later, between 8am and 10am.
The force said there were no signs of forced entry or ransacking inside the two-bedroom, 370 sq ft public housing flat, and all the windows were locked.
Government forensic experts also believed the flat was the sole crime scene and that neither body had been moved.
According to police, the couple married in 1980 and had been living in the Sau Mau Ping flat for more than 20 years before separating.
They also had a son who died by suicide in 2018 after suffering from “emotional problems”.
Sources earlier told the South China Morning Post that the man’s distressing message to relatives included an expressed desire to “reunite” with his son.
Wan said the son’s death had further strained the pair’s relationship, which had already been affected by differences in lifestyle and frequent arguments.
The couple later divorced, with the woman initiating proceedings in 2024. A court granted an interim divorce decree on February 28 last year, after which the pair began living separately to “reduce friction”, according to Wan.
Police said one stayed in mainland China while the other remained in the Sau Mau Ping flat during the separation period, until recently, when the woman helped arrange for the man to move into his new home.
According to the force, the man had no known history of mental illness, while the woman had reportedly suffered from depression more than a decade ago and had sought follow-up treatment.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services.
In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.