Coronial
NSWcommunity

Inquest into the disappearance and suspected death of Alan LY

Deceased

Alan Ly

Demographics

25y, male

Date of death

2015-09-22

Finding date

2017-08-08

Cause of death

Unable to be determined

AI-generated summary

Alan Ly, aged 25, disappeared on 22 September 2015 and is presumed dead. Evidence strongly suggests suicide: a handwritten note expressing long-standing suicidal ideation, recent paternal suicide, sleep disturbance, financial stress, and out-of-character gifting of possessions and money to family members. His mobile phone was last traced to Watsons Bay near 'The Gap' (a known suicide location). No body was recovered and the specific cause and manner of death could not be determined. Clinical lessons: recognise suicide risk in those bereaved by parental suicide, particularly with pre-existing sleep disruption, hopelessness about mental health treatment, and recent psychosocial stressors. Early intervention by mental health services following paternal suicide may have been beneficial.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.

Contributing factors

  • Recent paternal suicide
  • Sleep disturbance for approximately 1.5 months prior to disappearance
  • Family disagreement over deceased father's estate
  • Cancellation of planned trip to Japan
  • Long-standing suicidal ideation
  • Expressed belief that mental health problems had no permanent fix
  • Reluctance to pursue medication for mental health issues
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