A mother of three has committed suicide in the same spot where teenager Elijah Doughty was killed just two months ago.
14-year-old Doughty had been riding a stolen motorcycle in Kalgoorlie WA when he was allegedly run down by a 55-year-old man, who is currently facing manslaughter charges.
A remembrance site has been set up in his honour at the Gribble Creek reserve, and according to the ABC, this is where the woman, who is yet to be identified but is believed to be a relative of Doughty, took her own life yesterday.
“We’ve just been burying and burying and burying people that are close to us, you know, people that we love,” local Dena Rundle told ABC.
RELATED: Photo Of Young Woman Keeping Peace During Kalgoorlie Riots Goes Viral
Former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Dr Tom Calma says more needs to be done for Indigenous suicide prevention.
“There is a sense of despair, a sense of hopelessness,” Dr Calma told the ABC.
“It’s very, very frustrating… There’s no consistent policy approach, there’s no consistent funding and there is definitely a lack of real and meaningful engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Dr Calma said.
Last year more than 150 Aboriginal people took their own lives, with experts describing the situation in some regions as an epidemic.
The Kimberley has the highest rate of Indigenous suicide in the country, with eight deaths in the past year alone.
Federal health minister, Sussan Ley, will chair a roundtable on Indigenous suicide in the Kimberley on Friday.
If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit Lifeline.
