Mr He and his wife Mrs Dai (Image: Weibo)
Mrs Dai, a 34-year-old mother of two from rural Hunan province in southeast China, was understandably distraught upon learning of her husband’s sudden and entirely unforeseen death.
Police told her in early September 2018 that a car, hired in her husband Mr He’s name, had been discovered submerged in a river. Despite no body being recovered, authorities concluded he had taken his own life.
Mr He owed more than 100,000 yuan (£10,500) accumulated through predatory loans obtained from online lenders to fund medical treatment for his three-year-old daughter, who had severe epilepsy.
Whilst Mr He’s death meant these financial obligations, along with responsibility for their ill daughter, transferred entirely to Mrs Dai, she also discovered her husband had secretly arranged an insurance policy valued at one million yuan (£110,000), naming her as the sole beneficiary.
However, she found the grief overwhelming and, three weeks following Mr He’s disappearance, her body was discovered in a pond close to the family home, together with those of her daughter and her four-year-old son, reports <a href= »https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/father-faked-death-wife-carried-36685611″ rel= »Follow » target= »_self »>the Mirror</a>.
Police concluded she had carried out a double murder-suicide, drowning the children in the murky waters before drowning herself.
In a suicide note posted to Chinese social media platform WeChat, she had conveyed a wish to reunite their family in death and concerns that, should she leave her children alive, they would face social ostracism.
She wrote: « I wanted to leave alone, but without their parents, my son and daughter will be in pain and will be bullied like me. »
The post rapidly spread across China as the case became a nationwide sensation.
China remains amongst the few nations globally where suicide rates are elevated for women compared to men. This is particularly prevalent in rural regions such as Hunan, where economic prospects and social support networks are limited.
However, the case was about to take another twist. Merely one day following the tragic deaths of the mother and her children, Mr He surrendered to police, confessing he had staged his own death to evade his debts.
He had anticipated his insurance policy would assist in funding his daughter’s treatment.
Prior to surrendering, Mr He published a video online, explaining tearfully that he had intended to go into hiding before collecting his wife and children so they could begin afresh.
Crucially, he had not informed his wife of these intentions.
In the video, Mr He pleads: « My daughter, who is ill, has to get medical checks every month. I have to pay off car loans, and our family expenses. I’m also sick. I did this to avoid debts. I never thought my wife would be so infatuated with me. »
This video also spread rapidly. The hashtag #ManFakesDeathLeadingtoWifesDeath was viewed over 29 million times on microblogging platform Weibo.
Mr He was charged with insurance fraud and intentional damage of property. The incident has ignited discussions across China regarding online loans and the pressures imposed on women in rural areas.
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