Foreclosure Leads to Suicide of a Mother in Massachusetts

It has been reported that a woman in Tauton, Massachusetts took her life this past Tuesday because she was unable to cope with having her home foreclosed. The woman was 53 years old, happily married and was a mother.

Her home was schedule to be auctioned last Tuesday as she had not paid the mortgage on her and her husband’s three bedroom home. The company that issued the mortgage, PHH Mortgage, reported that she had not made payments for the past 42 months.

The auction was scheduled for 5:00 PM that day. However, instead of finding an empty home the mortgage company found the woman’s body and immediately notified the police that she had shot herself to death with her husband’s rifle. When her husband and family were interviewed, they indicated that they had no idea that the home was going to be auctioned as the woman had hid all notices of foreclosure from her family.

Before the suicide, she faxed a letter to the mortgage company notifying them that she would be dead by the time they came to foreclose her home later that day. She also left a note for her family that instructed them to use the insurance money to save the house. The home was worth $232,000 and it is uncertain if her husband will be able to file a claim for the insurance policy he had on his wife.

With the U.S. economy and the housing crisis weighing heavier on the average American and destroying all of these “American dreams” virtually over night, I doubt this will be the last of the sad stories of victims as a result of this mess.