Police identify dead woman as mental health patient

By Deidre Tautua-Fanene 17 June 2017, 12:00AM

The Police have identified the woman found at Mulinu’u on Monday morning as Afioga Tiro.

She was a mental health patient who had been allowed back to her family prior to her disappearance.

This was confirmed by Acting Assistant Commissioner, Sala’a Moananu Sale, yesterday during the Police’s weekly conference with the media.

According to Sala’a, Afioga Tiro is 57-years-old from the villages of Faga Savai’i and Faleasiu.

She is married and with children.

“From our investigation, we’ve found that the woman had mental issues,” said Sala’a.

“According to reports from the family of the woman, she had been at the Mental Health Unit at Moto’otua for three to four weeks.

“However on Thursday last week, doctors at the hospital allowed the woman to go back to her family at Falesi’u.”

On Sunday, she disappeared.

“The family couldn’t find her. She had been missing until the news broke out about the body of woman found at sea at Mulinu’u.”

Sala’a said the Police received the call on Monday morning.

“Police responded to the call and when they got there the woman was dead and was naked.”

Sala’a went on to say her body was taken to the hospital for doctors to do their work.

“We received the doctor’s report yesterday and it says that the cause of death was drowning,” he told the media.

“At the moment we are waiting for the Coroner to respond whether they are satisfied with the doctor’s report or they want to conduct a post mortem.”

Last Monday, a man who spotted the woman floating on the water at Mulinu’u told the Samoa Observer he was shocked.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw,” he said.

He said the woman looked like she had been dead for at least a few hours when her body was found.

“I was walking on the seawall heading to the Court house at Mulinu’u when I saw a body floating on the sea,” he said.

“When I went to take a I took a closer, I saw it was the body of a female.

 “When the Police brought her body up, she had mucus coming out of her mouth. She was all naked.

“She had a tattoo on her right arm but I couldn’t see clearly because the Police immediately wrapped up her body.”

The eyewitness said he could not believe what he saw and up until now, he still has nightmares thinking about it.

By Deidre Tautua-Fanene 17 June 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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