Mother ignored pleas before plunge
Family struggles to understand why woman jumped off bridge with her son
Dec. 5, 2006. 05:36 AM
MICHELE HENRY
STAFF REPORTER
One wilted bouquet of flowers, a few plastic poinsettias and a teddy bear fastened to the guardrail of a 401 overpass are the only visible reminders of how a mother plunged to her death this weekend, along with her preschool-aged son.
Andrea Johnson, 30, jumped off the Morningside Ave. bridge with her 2-year-old son Sulla Genua on Sunday evening.
The two plummeted 30 metres onto the busy westbound collector lanes of Highway 401 below in the city's east end.
Relatives learned of the tragic situation late yesterday afternoon.
"We only found out a couple of hours ago," said a cousin of Genua's father, who did not want to be named.
"There's a lot of sorrow. We're very frustrated and upset."
Johnson was undeterred by motorists who stopped their cars on the side of the road to try to help. Despite their pleas, she flung herself and her son off the bridge. Both were struck by cars speeding along the highway, near the Toronto Zoo, at about 7:15 p.m.
A post-mortem examination conducted yesterday concluded that Johnson died as a result of multiple trauma, while her son was killed by blunt-impact head trauma.
Speculation swirled as to whether the pair was from out of the province, and why the mother had taken her own life and that of her child.
Psychiatric experts say it's likely Johnson suffered severe depression and speculated that a psychotic episode pushed her to this "highly lethal" act.
"I'd be concerned about a psychotic depression, where judgment and connection to reality are impaired," said Dr. Jodi Lofchy, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and chair of psychiatric emergency services at the University Health Network.
"Someone has to be very ill for this to occur."
Lofchy explained that in such cases, the woman tends to believe she is "saving herself and the boy from a fate worse than death." Things seem to be so bad that she sees no alternative but to end it all, Lofchy said.
Dr. Mark Berber, a lecturer in psychiatry at U of T, explained that such decisions are usually impulsive.
"Very often, something may have happened recently in their personal life to tip the balance," he said. "And the woman sees no future for her or her child."
A woman who experiences such an episode may believe she must take the child's life as well because there is no one else to care for him, said suicide expert Paul Links. "That's a sign of a significant mental health problem."
It's not likely the added stress of the oncoming holiday season had anything to do with it, the experts said.
Suicide rates tend to rise after the Christmas season, not before.
Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened before Johnson, who was found without shoes, climbed over the guardrail with her son. Officers said she made it to the overpass on a southbound bus, with a transfer from the Sheppard Ave. subway station.
With her hair in dreadlocks and wearing stockings, a three-quarter-length coat, a ribbed sweater and a Gap jacket, Johnson walked from a nearby bus stop to the guardrail.
Several motorists who saw her walking suspiciously close to the railing called 911. A few stopped their cars on the side of the road when she crossed over the metal barrier with the child.
Police say a male motorist who had pulled over called to Johnson, who was described as acting calmly at the time, as he walked toward her.
"She was very close to the edge," Toronto police Sgt. Chris Buck said, and jumped before the man could get near her. The mother died at the scene and the boy was pronounced dead in hospital.
Officers interviewed 10 to 12 witnesses and kept the highway closed for several hours as the Ontario Provincial Police reconstructed the incident at the scene.
"It was pretty traumatic," Buck said, noting that witnesses received counselling from Victim Services at police headquarters. "But it's a credit to the people of Toronto that this situation can be noticed and they do something about it."