A university student from Cambridge, Alana Cutland, has taken her own life in a tragic incident. Cutland decided to jump from a plane flying over the thick and dangerous forest of Madagascar.
The reason for the horrific act was the fact that her research project had allegedly failed, forcing her to return earlier than planned from her six-week trip dedicated to her work.
The young woman reportedly committed suicide by jumping from a height of over 3600 feet and landed into the forest. The other passengers present on the small plane did their best to dissuade Cutland and prevent her from jumping, but they were unsuccessful.
Reports claim that it was clear the 19-year-old Cambridge University student was very determined to take her life.
The pilot and a British tourist named Ruth Johnson grabbed on to her leg, but she eventually freed herself and leaped to her death.
Analalava, the region where the girl fell, was reportedly notorious for being full of carnivorous animals. Her body was not recovered despite an extensive search operation.
According to reports, her research was dedicated to a particular species of crabs who were very rare at this point.
However, she became frustrated with the massive stress, and she suffered from multiple panic attacks during her stay in Madagascar. Her mental health deteriorated during her trip.
She was in constant communication with her parents, Alison and Neil Cutland, who were aware of the situation and were trying to provide her with the best moral support that they could.
However, it seems like the teenager’s issues were more profound than that, as she was not able to climb out of whatever hole she had fallen into over her research project.
Local police chief Sinola Nomenjahary said in a brief statement: “The victim is a student who has failed in research work and was asking for a lot of moral support. She was in regular contact by email with her parents [from] whom she receives moral support. She did not handle her stresses well.”
The Cutland issued a statement where they remembered their bright and loving daughter: “We are heartbroken at the loss of our wonderful, beautiful daughter, who lit up every room she walked in to and made people smile just by being there. She was always so kind and supportive to her family and friends, which resulted in her having a very special connection with a wide network of people from all walks of her life, who we know will miss her dearly.”
Her family also says that she might have been hallucinating because of prescription meds. Her uncle, Lester Riley, told the Daily Mail: “When she spoke to her mother on the phone two days before the accident, she was mumbling and sounded pretty incoherent. We think she had suffered a severe reaction to some drugs but not anti-malaria ones because she had taken those on her trip last year to China without any side effects.”
He continued with: “What happened, the family believe, was a tragic accident, not a suicide, and we are utterly heartbroken. Alana had everything to live for, nothing to die for, and we don’t think for a moment she deliberately took her own life. She was hallucinating, she was unwell, something had made her ill, it must have been a reaction to medication.”
People interested in her tragic story say the family should keep pushing for answers.
