Shock in Bornheim: couple dead - son in a psychological state of emergency!

Shock in Bornheim: couple dead - son in a psychological state of emergency!

In a shocking incident in Bornheim, two dead people were found in a residential building on Thursday. Police and prosecutors responded quickly after noticing an open window at 11:45 a.m. While checking the house, the officers made a gruesome discovery: the dead couple were lying in their own four walls. Due to the circumstances, a homicide squad was set up to investigate the case. The suspect is the couple's 47-year-old son, who was in a psychological state of emergency at the time of his arrest, as WDR reports.

The police had their first sight of the son on Wednesday afternoon when he caused a stir at a clothing container in Bornheim-Hemmerich by undressing. Following a court order, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. On Thursday, when the couple did not respond to knocks and bells, officers left a message in the mailbox. The accident was discovered during a further inspection.

A sad background

The family circumstances of the couple who were killed were tense. The son suffers from severe mania and depression, which have plagued him for eight years. During his depressive phases he can't even get out of bed, while during his high phases he is aggressive and terrorizes his family. This led to the psychological pressure on the mother becoming so strong that she also became depressed and had to be hospitalized. This difficult situation is compounded by reports that the parents made multiple attempts to get help, including calling the police to permanently remove their son from the home, but without lasting success. The son kept returning and presented the family with new challenges, such as insecurities and fears that they had to endure, as 123recht describes.

Neighbors reacted with shock to the news of the violent crime. Many people cannot imagine that something like this could happen right next door. The investigation now aims to clarify the exact circumstances of the crime and the nature of the killing. It is still unclear what exactly led to this tragic incident and whether mental illness played a role.

Mental illness in society

The tragic incident also raises questions about the frequently addressed problem of mental illness. Studies show that psychological violence, whether in family or intimate relationships, is increasing at an alarming rate. In a study by Ebert & Steinert (2021), 25.3% of the women surveyed said they had experienced verbal conflicts. Physical violence was only found in 3.1% of participants in the same study, but emotional and psychological attacks are far more widespread and are often not taken seriously.

In this context, it becomes clear that dealing with mentally ill relatives often becomes a heavy burden for families. The exclusion and lack of understanding in society contribute to the isolation of those affected and their families and can have fatal consequences. Many people still have prejudices about the topic and there is a lack of sufficient support offers. The case in Bornheim should be an opportunity to think about prevention and support for mentally ill people and their families.

How the investigation will continue remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the tragedy casts a dark shadow over the community and is a reminder that there is often much more going on within our own four walls than we know.