LAKEWOOD, Wash. (AP) — Western State Hospital officials confirm that a patient at the mental hospital has died after a suicide attempt. That patient was found just a day after a homicide in a different hospital ward.
KUOW says Lakewood police report that a 20-year-old woman was found hanging from a bed sheet early on April 21. She was taken to nearby St. Clare Hospital, where she died Tuesday night.
Western State spokeswoman Kris Flowers said Thursday she could not discuss specifics because of privacy laws but did say the suicide attempt and the homicide both took place in the hospital’s civil commitment area.
In a statement, hospital CEO Jess Jamieson said administrators and staff are working with Lakewood police on investigations of both deaths. Jamieson adds, in his words, “Our employees are reeling from both tragedies.”
