13-Page Suicide Note Left by Cynthia Wachenhem - Mom Who Jumped From 8th Floor With Baby
A 13 page suicide note has been left by a woman who jumped to her death Wednesday holding her baby boy in her arms. The mother died, but the baby miraculously survived, according to new reports out Friday.
Cynthia Wachenhem had left a 13-page handwritten suicide note under her bed before she jumped from the 8th floor of her apartment.
The 44-year-old lawyer had described her final act as "evil" in her notes. She was an attorney on leave with the Manhattan Supreme Court.
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It is now reported that Wachenham believed her 10-month old son Keston suffered from cerebral palsy or some sort of neurological disorder after suffering two falls, and she was deeply distressed by those thoughts. She reportedly blamed herself for the falls despite doctors finding nothing wrong with the child.
The suicide not was found under Wachenheim's bed, stating that she knew her action would be "evil," but that she was worried about her child's development.
Wachenheim was married with an only child - her husband had just left the apartment an hour earlier before she jumped from her eighth story window. The window was open with no safety bars.
In her notes, she expressed "deep love for her son" and that she expected people to assume that she was a victim of postpartum psychosis, a symptom which could drive mothers to harm themselves and their children.
West Harlem resident Steven Dominguez witnessed the fall - the 18-year old was walking to the grocery store with his mother when the incident took place. He said the baby bounced off the woman's body, which probably broke some impact of the fall, before hitting the ground.
"I heard a scream like a yell," Dominguez said, according to the report. "When I got closer, I saw the baby crying."
He said the baby was face down.
"I was shocked," he said. "I couldn't believe it."
Resident Yaa Dwamena, 32, a fellow neighbor, lived in Wachenheim's building said she'd known the woman for several years, saying she was "nice, friendly," and "very warm."
Dwamena saw her neighbor just last week and didn't suspect any suspicious behavior.
"I wouldn't have thought anything was wrong with her," she said. "They were a happy-looking family. I wouldn't think anything like this would happen."
Wachenheim was a law school student at Columbia University. She worked in state Supreme Court in Manhattan doing legal research for judges, court officials said.
Here is a video news report into the tragic incident:
