Dressed as bride and groom on 26th anniversary, Nagpur couple parties till midnight, dies by suicide

NAGPUR: A couple partied hard till well past midnight with friends and relatives to celebrate their 26th marriage anniversary and barely had the fun, frolic and laughter died down, when they dressed up in their wedding attire and embraced death in the quiet confines of their home early Tuesday.

While 57-year-old Jeril Damson Oscar Moncriff's body was found hanging in the kitchen, his wife, 46-year-old Anne, lay motionless on a bed in the drawing room. Donned in her bridal dress, which she wore 26 years ago, Anee's body was neatly wrapped in white with flowers strewn over it. Police said Jeril likely allowed his wife to end her life first. After dismantling her body from the rope, Jeril covered her with cloth and placed flowers on it before hanging himself with a scarf from the ceiling, said police.
The suicide pact triggered a wave of sadness, particularly in Martin Nagar locality on Tuesday. The couple, who was childless, updated their social media status with a farewell message and uploaded two suicide notes, including an informal will on a stamp paper. This sparked off widespread curiosity on the motive behind the extreme step, which has left police clueless.
Anne, who chose to speak in the video, urged the family to look after their kin's children and wished them luck before making an emotional exit. Two suicide notes, essentially holding no one responsible for their drastic decision and requesting elders to ensure seamless distribution of properties among the rest. This reflected their self-driven decision, but eluded the motive for suicide. No one could fathom what they had in mind, when they cheered and cut their anniversary cake exactly when the clock struck 12 midnight.
And the poignancy couldn't be missed when as per their last wish, they were buried hand in hand in a common coffin at the Jaripatka Catholic cemetery on Tuesday evening.
For the third-generation undertaker, Vijay Alick Michael, the coffin of the Moncriffs was a first of its kind. "I have been making coffins for five decades, but this was the first time I made a common coffin for a couple. Their relatives said it was a wish of the departed to be buried together and in the same attire they adorned 26 years ago on their wedding day and that too hand in hand," Michael told TOI.
Jeril served as a chef at many top hotels before discontinuing during the pandemic. He did not return to his hotel job. Family sources stated that while Jeril lent money on interest, Anee was a homemaker.
Family sources stated Anne's status, updated at 5.47am on social media, was spotted by a relative, who lives in the vicinity and alerted her mother. The woman then informed the couple's other relatives, who rushed to Moncriff couple's residence, only to find them dead. And an SOS was sent to the police. "They were so much in love and had a cordial relationship with others," said a family source.
"The relatives took down Jeril's body and laid him on the kitchen floor. The wife's body was in the drawing room," said senior inspector of Jaripatka police station Arun Shirshat, adding the case is prima facie of suicide and no foul play is suspected as of now.
The autopsy was performed at Mayo Hospital before the bodies were handed over to the kin for funeral. A case of accidental death was registered. Police will send their mobile phones to the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory for assessment and analysis.