BC Suicide

John Fulton was last seen on the steps of his Grand Forks, B.C., home August 15, 2009.

The family of a 12-year-old autistic boy who was stabbed to death by his mentally ill neighbour says the child was let down by British Columbia's mental health system and his killing was "completely avoidable."

John Fulton disappeared from the steps of his Grand Forks, B.C., home last August. Two days later, Mounties discovered his body inside Kimberly Ruth Noyes' home.

Noyes' second-degree murder trial wrapped up last week when she was found not criminally responsible for the killing due to mental disorder. She was sent to a forensic psychiatry hospital where her condition will be reviewed after 45 days.

Fulton's family said little during the B.C. Supreme Court trial, but in an open letter this week blasted B.C.'s mental health system.

"This senseless crime was completely avoidable. Noyes' actions were completely deplorable but mental health's inactions are equally so," the letter reads.

Noyes was diagnosed in 2003 with bipolar disorder, a condition that causes manic delusional episodes as well as suicidal depressions.

Each time she was in a manic phase, her psychiatrist testified at trial, she was quite psychotic and completely rejected the notion that she was mentally ill. Noyes believed her dead father was God, that the devil was in her house and that God was coming in a helicopter to take everyone away.

Noyes' eldest daughter and other psychiatrists who had treated her testified about Noyes' delusion that she had to sacrifice her youngest daughter in order to resurrect her.

Fulton's family said in its letter that testimony at the trial made it quite clear that Noyes was a threat to the community and a danger to children, yet no one warned the families that lived at the low-income complex she called home.

"The local RCMP, mental health workers, psychiatrists, her doctor, and her family knew she was ill," the letter reads. "And despite her clearly disturbing behaviour the months before John's death, no one thought to hospitalize her. Where was the common sense?"

Fulton's family said it's not suggesting that people who struggle with mental illness should be locked away from society.

But when someone is uttering threats about sacrificing children, the family said, mental health should be charged with protecting the rights of the general public.

"The loss of this beautiful child has been devastating to our family," the letter states. "The way in which he was taken from us was unimaginable. The pain we feel will take years to lessen, but will never be fully gone."

Noyes had a troubled childhood.

Her mother died when she was very young and she took her passing badly. Noyes' father died the day before she was to graduate.

Three people in her extended family also committed suicide.

Noyes enrolled in the University of Calgary but dropped out. She eventually completed a business administration degree and worked as a bookkeeper

The Golden Ears bridge was closed both ways for five hours on Tuesday, after a distraught man managed to climb onto a ledge on the Langley side.

Around 10:30 a.m., traffic was blocked off so police could deal with an emotionally disturbed man who had managed to climb up and over a tower and past the suicide barriers.

He spent hours on a ledge which stands about 150 feet above the Fraser River, said witnesses.

Police tried to talk the man down as he was seen hanging by one arm from one of the cable wires.

While police negotiators worked with the man, they also brought in their high angle rescue team, Emergency Response Team and sent a water-borne team into the river.

Air 2 was also participating for some time, said Langley RCMP.

The Caucasian man, believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, was talked down around 3:45 p.m.

The Golden Ears Bridge was the first bridge in B.C. to be built with suicide barriers.

The sharply pointed metal bars were constructed to stop people from being able to climb over the edge.

Traffic on Highway One was completely jammed heading westbound and feeder routes to the Golden Ears bridge were backed up on both sides of the river.

A study suggests suicide barriers like the one on Toronto's Bloor Street Viaduct may have little effect overall. (Lori Slater)
A new study says that the suicide barrier erected on Toronto's Bloor Street Viaduct hasn't reduced the number of people who jump to their death in Canada's largest city every year.

The report concludes what many critics said at the time the barrier was being built: people intent on committing suicide by jumping from heights will just find another location.

The Bloor Street Viaduct held the dubious distinction of being the bridge with the world's second highest suicide rate after the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Between 1992 and 2002, there were an average of 10 suicides a year at the Toronto location.

After the barrier was completed in June 2003, that number dropped to zero.

"However, there was no impact on suicide by jumping in the region as a whole," a summary of the report states. "Toronto's overall yearly suicide rate by jumping was almost unchanged when comparing the pre- and post-barrier periods at 56.4 per year compared to 56.6 per year."

The researchers, led by psychiatrist Dr. Mark Sinyor from University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, also found that "there was a statistically significant increase in suicides by jumping from bridges other than the Bloor Street Viaduct."

One thing that the researchers couldn't quantify however is the effect the barriers may have on impulse actions.

"[The barriers] may save more lives than other suicide prevention strategies, especially in children and young adults, who tend to act impulsively in fleeting suicidal crisis," the study says.

One of the strongest impetuses for the barrier in Toronto was the suicide of 17-year-old Kenneth Au Yeng.

The St. Michael's Choir School student had been admonished on the morning of Dec. 17, 1997 for his part in a school yearbook prank. Several hours later he vaulted over the side of the bridge.

His tragic death helped to push local politicians into taking action.

Similar barriers have also been erected at other world landmarks — the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower being prime examples.

The researchers conclude that, "this research shows that constructing a barrier on a bridge with a high rate of suicide by jumping is likely to reduce or eliminate suicides at that bridge, but it may not alter absolute suicide rates by jumping when there are comparable bridges nearby."

The study was published by the British Medical Association.

Garry Kurbis
photo submitted

A week-long search for a missing Vernon man ended Monday evening.

The body of Garry Kurbis, 52, was discovered with his missing pick-up truck in a wooded area off Hartnell and Dixon Dam Roads in the BX.

“Foul play is not suspected in the death,” said Vernon RCMP spokesman Gord Molendyk.

Kurbis’s truck was discovered by a resident out for a walk in the area.

Kurbis had last been seen Tuesday on surveillance video leaving his Vernon condo in his white Dodge Dakota pick-up truck.

The long-time autobody shop employee did not show up for work Wednesday, something family and friends said was completely out of character for Kurbis.

Appeals to the public were made by police, family and friends, concerned for Kurbis’s well-being.

Police stated Monday that Kurbis had left a note in his home, saying he was dealing with some issues. His bank accounts had not been touched from the time he disappeared.

Friends conducted searches of the area, as Kurbis was known to be a fan of off-roading, particularly in the Aberdeen Plateau area.

“We would like to thank the public for the calls we received in connection with this case, and for their assistance in attempting to locate Mr. Kurbis,” said Molendyk.

More than 800 people had joined a Facebook page asking for help in finding Kurbis, a popular figure on local golf courses and at the Vernon Curling Club.

On Monday and Tuesday, numerous messages of condolence had been left on the page.

It is not like Garry Kurbis to just go off without saying a word to family or friends.

And it’s really not like Kurbis to not show up for work at a local autobody shop, a place he’s worked at “forever.”

Friends, family and Vernon RCMP are puzzled by Kurbis’ disappearance. He was last seen Tuesday when he left his residence in his 1994 white Dodge Dakota pick-up (licence plates 3544 NH). Concern arose when Kurbis failed to show up for work Wednesday.

“We know nothing, it’s totally out of the norm for him,” said Randi Tingle, Kurbis’s second cousin. “When I got a call saying Garry wasn’t at work I was like ‘What the hell?’ It’s totally out of character for him. Big-time.”

All attempts by Vernon RCMP and friends and family to find Kurbis have been unsuccessful.

Asked how concerned the family is about her second cousin, Tingle replied, “A lot.”

Tingle said she wasn’t aware of any issues Kurbis might have been dealing with.

Vernon RCMP spokesman Gord Molendyk said Friday that Kurbis’ bank accounts had not been touched, and that his cell phone was found in his home.

“We are doing everything we can to find Mr. Kurbis,” said Molendyk. “We’re concerned for his well-being, as are his family and friends.”

As of Friday, police had not received any tips as to Kurbis’s whereabouts, nor had his truck been spotted.

Tingle started a Facebook page – Please Help Us Find Garry Kurbis, Missing From Vernon, B.C. – on Friday, and had attracted more than 150 members by Friday afternoon.

“Once the news went public, we decided to start the page to help spread the word, you know, word-of-mouth in case anybody had any sightings or information,” said Tingle.

Kurbis, 52, is five-foot-six, weighs 139-pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anybody with any information is asked to call the Vernon RCMP at 250-545-7171.

Gerard Hayes, applied suicide intervention skills trainer, speaks at First Aid for Suicide Thursday.  photo submitted

There is something that can be done when a person feels someone is thinking about suicide.

“I think there’s a lot of fear and stigma around suicide,” said Sharon Durant, chairman of the Vernon Suicide Prevention Committee which is made up of a number of local service agencies.

“A lot of people don’t know what to do if someone is giving signs that they may be suicidal so they don’t do anything.”

The committee presents First Aid for Suicide with Gerard Hayes Thursday.

Hayes is an applied suicide intervention skills training master trainer at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.

“We want to show people how to recognize the signs and how and where to get them help,” said Durant.

“It’s like CPR. If you don’t know how to do it and someone near you needs it, you cant help them the way you should.”

Durant believes people can learn how to put things in context to assess the real risk.

For example, a person may say in exasperation about one area of their lives, “I can’t handle this anymore,” but have no thoughts of suicide.

All factors should be considered.

“Don’t ignore that gut feeling. Someone may be reaching out to you, looking to see if you accept the way they’re feeling. Asking them how they’re feeling shows you care about them and accept them,” she said.

“By talking, you may be able to help them get professional help and prevent something worse down the road. People are more likely to reach out to someone they know first rather than to a professional.”

High school students may be asked by peers to keep secrets but anything to do with suicide is one secret they should never keep. School counsellors can show them how to get help.

Suicide affects people of all ages from all cultural, religious, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds and is increasing affecting seniors.

Durant has trained with Hayes and is enthusiastic about being able to bring him to the area as a speaker.

“He’s excellent at giving an overview and teaching the skills people need to help anyone of any age who might have suicidal behaviours,” she said.

“We know that by providing a place where people can talk about suicide, it is very helpful. At the vigil in Polson Park, a woman said she couldn’t tell us how important it was for her to be there and acknowledge her loss and know she was not alone.”

The presentation will include two speakers on their personal experience of losing someone to suicide and service agencies will have resource material available.

Anyone in need of immediate help should call the PIN Crisis Line at 250-545-2339.

The free First Aid for Suicide presentation takes place Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Best Western Vernon Lodge.

Child minding is available at no charge but people must register for it by Jan. 18 by calling 250-542-3114 (ext. 2120.)

The Facts

In 2008, 487 British Columbians took their own lives with 95 of those from the Interior. It is estimated that there were 7,170 attempts.

At any given time, five per cent of the population is having thoughts of suicide with that number doubling for young women between 15 and 24.

In 2002, there were 3,548 deaths by suicide in Canada with fewer than 500 murders and about 3,000 traffic accident deaths.