Local woman saved by N.Y. police while broadcasting suicide attempt on Facebook
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ROCKVILLE CENTRE, New York — A Rexburg woman who attempted suicide while broadcasting live on Facebook is alive thanks to law enforcement officers in three states.
The cross-country rescue effort began at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday when an Idaho Crisis Center called the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office in California.
“They had spoken to a female on the phone and via Facebook stating she wanted to commit suicide,” a post on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page reads. “She had been living in Idaho after moving to the U.S. from China.”
Police said the 52-year-old woman from Rexburg was inside her car, according to Rockville Center Patch.
Preliminary information revealed the lady recently moved to California and dispatchers conducted an emergency phone ping to get her phone coordinates.
A detective spoke with the woman who was “very distraught” and said she was in New York.
“While monitoring her Facebook, the lady went ‘live’ speaking about her pending suicide and (she) began cutting herself in front of viewers,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. “Dispatchers became increasingly concerned for her safety.”
Police were able to ping her phone to Long Island, New York and, using Google maps while watching the woman’s live feed, they eventually pinpointed the exact street where she was parked.
Dispatchers then contacted Rockville Long Island police, who found the woman passed out inside her vehicle in front of a church. She was reportedly transported to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment.
“Due to the hard work and determination of the ACSO dispatchers, this woman was located across the country and her life was saved,” the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page reads. “She will be getting the help she needs.”