Saudi sisters found dead in Australia 'made a suicide pact' after being cut off from family
Saudi sisters found dead in Australia 'made a suicide pact' after being cut off from family
Police believe that two Saudi sisters found dead in an apartment in Sydney, Australia last year made a suicide pact after falling out with their family over their Western lifestyle.
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Asra and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli were found by police on 7 June 2022 (Photo by ANDREW LEESON/AFP via Getty Images)
Two Saudi sisters found dead in their apartment in Sydney, Australia last year are thought to have made a suicide pact after being cut off by their family.
Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found by police on 7 June 2022. It is believed that they had died in April of that year.
The sisters had left Saudi Arabia five years before with $5,000 in savings.
They had adopted a Western lifestyle, with Asra self-describing as an atheist, and Amaal identifying as a lesbian.
According to a source who spoke to Australia’s Daily Telegraph, they had a stream of money coming from the family in Saudi Arabia, but that was cut off after a falling out.
It was during that time that they had started to fall behind on rent payments, with the police making welfare checks after requests from the building manager.
In April, the sheriff told them that they faced eviction after falling behind on their rent by $5,000.
According to a toxicology report, unusual levels of sodium, nitrate and fluoride were found in the apartment, with police believing the sisters died as a result of a suicide pact.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation believe that the sisters were aware of the dangers of returning to Saudi Arabia. The sisters had applied for subclass 866 protection visas in 2022.
Their bodies have since been returned to Saudi Arabia, with a coroner now being tasked with determining an official cause of death.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. If you're in the UK or Ireland, you can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit https://www.samaritans.org/ to find your nearest branch.
Readers in the US can contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialling 988 or visiting https://988lifeline.org/chat/.
If you are based elsewhere, you can visit https://findahelpline.com/ or https://www.suicidestop.com/ for details of support options available in your country.
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