Nurse Jacintha Saldanha Family Breaks Silence; DJs 'Will Not Return to Airwaves'
Nurse Jacintha Saldanha is being mourned around the world after her apparent suicide late last week. Saldanha's family has broken their silence about her death and the prank they believe caused her to take her life. Their statements come along with the announcement that the DJs' radio show is now off the air.
"She would have felt much shame about the incident … [she] was a proper and righteous person," Saldanha's brother Naveen told the Daily Mail. He added that she would have been "devastated" at the betrayal and breaching Duchess Kate's privacy.
Saldanha was the victim of a hoax by two Australian DJs who called the hospital where the Duchess was staying in the hope of learning private information. They were successful after two nurses at the King Edward VII Hospital in London gave away that information not knowing it was a prank.
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After the incident was broadcast throughout the world, an investigation was immediately launched into how the hospital could have released such delicate information. Saldanha was one of the targets of that investigation, but the hospital said in a statement, it "had been supporting her throughout this difficult time."
The story even reached the ears of the Duke and Duchess, who released a statement saying they were "deeply saddened to learn of the death," according to St. James Palace.
"At no point did the palace complain to the hospital about the incident. On the contrary, we offered our full and heartfelt support to the nurses involved and hospital staff at all times," a palace spokesman told CNN.
"We just cannot believe what has happened," Celine Barboza, Saldanha's sister-in-law, told the Daily Mail. "She was a very strong person and could have taken this drastic step easily. We would like to get an answer."
"I want to know about the circumstances of her death and nobody is giving me an answer," added her mother-in-law, Carmine Barboza. "She used to stay at the nurses' quarters and go home to be with her children on her days off, so now I don't know who will look after my grandchildren."
The two DJs who did the prank "will not return to the airwaves until further notice," a statement from the Southern Cross Austereo network said. CNN reported that the station is also investigating all other prank calls and reviewing its policies. The DJs have been in hiding and have received numerous threats for pulling the prank.
