Man, 37, suspected of killing wife, 36 & 2 sons in Hong Kong hotel before falling to his death

A 37-year-old man died after falling from a hotel in Hong Kong's Tsuen Wan district on Jul. 27.

Hong Kong police suspected that he murdered his 36-year-old wife and their two sons, aged three and six, who were found with multiple slash wounds in a room at the hotel, South China Morning Post and The Standard reported.

The room had been rented by the deceased man for three months, with the lease ending in August.

The man, who was unemployed at the time of the fall, reportedly had no history of domestic violence or significant financial issues.

The case has been classified as a murder-suicide by local police.

Died after falling from hotel room

Prior to the fall, the man had reportedly expressed suicidal thoughts on social media, The Standard reported.

These posts had been flagged up to police by the man's friends, at about around midnight on Jul. 27.

At around 4:45am, an employee of a nearby 7-Eleven outlet called police after the man fell from the room.

He was initially conscious and bleeding when found by police.

However, he lost consciousness and was rushed to Yan Chai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Bodies of wife and 2 sons found with neck wounds

Tsuen Wan assistant district commander Ruby Lo-Chi Lik said officers subsequently forced entry into the room, which was locked with a security chain, SCMP reported.

The bodies of the man's wife and two sons were found in the living room and in two separate bedrooms respectively.

All of them had cuts to their necks and bodies.

A 24cm-long knife with blood was recovered from the scene, and bloodstains were found on the curtain and walls.

Surveillance footage showed that the family had returned to the room at about 9pm on Jul. 26, with no signs that they left afterwards, said Lo.

There were no signs of struggle at the scene, she added.

Family was planning to emigrate to UK

The man had previously worked as an inspector at Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department before resigning for personal reasons in June, according to SCMP.

He was understood to have suffered from depression and was seeking treatment at a private clinic at the time.

Police said the man rented the hotel room for about HKS$40,000 (S$6,523) per month, in preparation for the family to emigrate from Hong Kong in August.

The family's immigration application had been smoothly processed and they had imminent plans to relocate to the United Kingdom before the incident happened, Dim Sum Daily reported.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National Mindline 1771: 1771

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 6571 4400 (for targets of online harms)

Top image from Dim Sum Daily/Google Street View