New York City police sources confirm to PEOPLE that a 39-year-old Brooklyn mother who leapt to her death Sunday afternoon while holding her 5-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with clinical depression in the wake of her recent separation from her husband.
According to NYPD sources, Oksana Patchin had been scaling back her depression medications in recent weeks — something her mother first disclosed to the New York Post.
Her mother, identified only as Anna, told the Post that Patchin had been prescribed three different drugs months ago, but was committed to fighting her depression without the help of chemicals. She had been breaking up the pills in an effort to wean herself off the medications.
The murder-suicide happened at around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Sources tell PEOPLE Patchin brought her young daughter to Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, where the two visited with one of Patchin's friends.
Police sources say Patchin can be seen in surveillance footage on the roof of a building on West 53rd Street. In the video, she is seen climbing over a safety gate, the sources confirm. She then picks up her daughter, Olivia, and jumps 12 stories to the ground.
Both were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were declared dead.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Patchin, who worked for a French banking firm, did not leave a suicide note behind, sources confirm.
The New York Post reports that Patchin filed for divorce from her husband in August. The divorce was finalized in November.
A friend told the New York Daily News she was shocked by Patchin's actions, noting how much she'd loved her daughter.
"I want people to know that this wasn't her," the friend explains. "She was a warm, loving person who cared about everyone."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Source: Read Full Article