A MOTHER carrying her 15-month-old son walked in front of a commuter train in what investigators are treating as a murder-suicide.
Therese Papagayo, 36, died along with the toddler at a railroad crossing in suburban Los Angeles.
They were struck by a Los Angeles Metro ‘L’ train in the Monrovia district near Pasadena at 8.45am on Wednesday.
No one on board the train was hurt, sheriff’s office officials said.
A Los Angeles County coroner later ruled Papagayo’s death a suicide from “blunt force traumatic injuries”.
The Filipina mother crossed the railroad tracks on foot despite the cautionary bells indicating a train was coming, reports Monrovia Weekly.
Therese is said to have tried to throw her son out of harm’s way at the last moment, but they both died.
The train driver did not see the child and only learned two people had died later when he was being checked in hospital.
Heavy equipment was brought in to help raise the train and recover the bodies.
The Monrovia police department said they are treating the double death as a murder-suicide rather than an accident.
Lt. Jaime Alfaro said Therese had a history of depression.
She was a nurse whose license expired in 2018, after which she was raising her son, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Her husband had gone to work when she left home with their son and walked to the station.
According to the National Transportation Safety Bureau, a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the US every two hours.
Around 1,000 Americans are killed in train-related accidents each year.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
