Young woman dies by apparent suicide after policeman tells her to kill herself

A Beersheba woman in her 20s who was told by a police officer to kill herself after sharing her mental distress was found dead overnight Thursday in an apparent suicide.

In a recording published by Channel 12 news last month, the woman called police to alert them that she was planning on taking her own life, and asked officers for help to be referred to a district psychiatrist for hospitalization.

“God has not taken you yet? God willing he will take you already,” an officer was heard saying to the woman. “You’re an idiot who wants to kill herself, so kill yourself quietly already. Go and kill yourself without telling us anything,” he said. “We’re on our way to you, you idiot. Stay there.”

The young woman could be heard crying in the audio recording, while another policewoman laughed in the background.

“I asked for help and she’s laughing? What’s funny about me asking for help, and he tells me ‘go kill myself’?” she told Channel 12 after the phone call.

“I felt alone. I sat with myself and cried,” she added.

After the recording aired, police said the officer in question was dismissed. “We view the conduct of the police officer very seriously, conduct that is inconsistent with police values ​​and the norms of behavior expected of any police officer,” the force said in a statement.

The woman was found dead in her Beersheba apartment early Friday morning. She is to be buried on Saturday night at the city’s new cemetery.