An investigation by BBC has revealed a troubling trend on a pro-suicide website, showing that over 700 individuals in the UK have sought a partner to die with.
The site, which remains unnamed, features a members-only section dedicated to finding a suicide partner.
BBC investigation has linked this ‘partners thread’ to multiple instances of double suicides. Moreover, it found evidence of predators exploiting the site to target vulnerable women.
One such case involved Brett, the 28-year-old son of Angela Stevens, who travelled from the Midlands to Scotland in December 2019 to meet a woman he had contacted through the site. Tragically, the pair took their lives together in an Airbnb.
“I miss everything about Brett, his smile, his infectious laugh,” Angela says.
Following her son’s tragic death, Angela Stevens has dedicated years to investigating the pro-suicide website, with a focus on the ‘partners thread’.
She describes the platform as ‘a very dangerous place’, likening it to a sinister counterpart of a dating app, where vulnerable individuals are matched with potentially harmful partners.
“Where else would you go to find a partner to take your own life with?” she says. “It’s just absolutely vile.”
According to the BBC, the disturbing online thread contains over 5,000 posts from individuals worldwide, promoting and providing guidance on suicide methods. BBC’s analysis reveals an alarming trend.
Previously, a BBC investigation in March uncovered a possible link between the site’s promotion of a specific chemical and the deaths of more than 130 people in the UK, who may have taken their own lives using this substance. It, however, withheld details to avoid perpetuating harmful information.
Through an anonymous account, the BBC team conducted an investigation, examining the volume and content of messages on the site. Users share personal details, including age, gender, location, and desired method of suicide, seeking a partner to end their life with.
One such user was Linda, the sister of Helen Kite, who posted a request for a suicide partner in 2023.
Helen Kite describes the forum as a platform that ‘preys on desperate souls,’ with the partners section leading users down a fatal path.
Her sister Linda, who used the forum, wrote: ‘I am 54F, based near London…I can travel and could pay for a hotel, if that suited. Obviously, would be good to chat first.’
Linda met a man from the forum at a Romford hotel, where they both ingested a toxic chemical and died together on July 1, 2023.
Helen was devastated to find her sister ‘lying next to the body of a total stranger.’ She believes the forum ensnares innocent victims seeking support daily, causing ‘untold misery and suffering’ for loved ones.
Tragically, Helen’s other sister, Sarah, also fell victim to the forum’s dangers. Consumed by grief over Linda’s death, Sarah used the forum, ingested the same toxic chemical, and died in September 2023.
The BBC investigation uncovered a particularly alarming aspect of the partners thread: the presence of predators exploiting vulnerable individuals, disproportionately targeting women.
A disturbing example emerged in a 2022 Glasgow court case, where Craig McInally, 31, was found to have manipulated multiple young women seeking a suicide partner.
He coerced a 25-year-old woman into visiting his residence, under the guise of ‘practising’ suicide, and subjected her to repeated choking, causing her to lose consciousness.
Upon his arrest, authorities discovered that Craig McInally had offered similar guidance and support to multiple young women struggling with suicidal thoughts, all of whom he met through the partners thread.
One such individual was 22-year-old Romanian student Roberta Barbos. In messages obtained by the BBC, McInally claimed to have extensive experience and assured Roberta that he would be by her side ‘the whole way.’
Although she met him once, Roberta declined further contact and tragically took her own life in February 2020.
