Mystery as four members of same family are found dead after they ‘all jumped together from balcony’

 FOUR members of a family have been found dead and the only survivor is seriously injured after they allegedly leapt off a balcony.

Police were called to the scene in Montreux, Switzerland, after reports that five people had jumped together from a building next to a casino.

Passers-by found members of the family on the ground after they reportedly jumped out of a balcony
4
Passers-by found members of the family on the ground after they reportedly jumped out of a balconyCredit: Reuters
Cops and members of a special forensic unit questioned witnesses in the area
4
Cops and members of a special forensic unit questioned witnesses in the areaCredit: Reuters

A 15-year-old boy is the only survivor of the mystery and he was hospitalised with catastrophic injuries, according to Le Temps.

Vaud police reported that the dead are: a man, 40, his wife, 41, their daughter, 8, and the woman's 41-year-old twin sister.

Formal identification is "still in progress" but cops have confirmed that the five are members of the same family of French nationals.

Several neighbours in the area who were interviewed stated that the incident took place around 6am.One neighbour said that he distinctly saw three bodies on one side and two on the other.

He said: "I thought it was a bad film, I couldn't look at the image for more than a few seconds."

Another witness present at the scene before the arrival of the police claimed that the people were lying on the ground without shoes.

Vaud police spokesman Alexandre Bisenz told The Daily Beast that the group seems to “have visibly thrown themselves into the void from an apartment” landing hard on the pavement below, where they were found by passers-by.Police also confirmed that there were no other people in the apartment apart from them.

According to police press release published around 1pm, the tragedy took place after two officers went to the apartment "to execute an arrest warrant issued by the prefecture in connection with the home schooling of a child".

The cops knocked on the door and heard a voice asking them who was there but they then heard no more noise from within the apartment.

Unable to make contact they left the premises, but in the meantime a witness called the police to report that "people had fallen from the balcony of an apartment".

Katia, 35, told Blick: "I was woken up by the noise of the police, who came racing with a large number of emergency vehicles. We have a Whatsapp group with the neighbors and people thought there was a raid on the casino."

Her colleague Rosa, 66, said: "I've lived in the area for 32 years, I've never experienced anything like it. I figured maybe it's someone I know. Everyone says it's a family."

One neighbour described the family that moved in three years ago as "inconspicuous" and "very-low key".

"You didn't hear anything from them, your father never greeted you in the hallway and ordered numerous packages almost every day." 

However, he claimed that he noticed a strong smell of incense sticks for the past few days before the incident.


Police did not confirm whether the jumpers were that family but a full investigation is well underway.

Dozens of police and a special forensic unit were present, with the crime scene cordoned off while they collected analyses, inspected the balconies, and searched for clues with a police dog.

Forensic teams were present on the balcony as they searched for clues
4
Forensic teams were present on the balcony as they searched for cluesCredit: Reuters
White tents were erected on the ground as police swept the area of the deaths
4
White tents were erected on the ground as police swept the area of the deaths

No comments:

Powered by Blogger.