In September 2021, a mom holding her 2-year-old son plunged from the upper stands at Petco Park stadium. It happened just before the Padres game was about to start. While at first some thought the death was accidental, it was later ruled a murder-suicide.
Now new evidence in the incident has come to light.
Before her death, 40-year-old Raquel Wilkins was trying to formulate a plan. She had reportedly searched "easy suicide" and "means of suicide" on her phone.
Her boyfriend, Christopher Browning, told the San Diego Union-Tribune about the incident, insisting that something was off. He said that Wilkins had asked for a family selfie just before her death, which was unusual. Then he described her eerie expression before she took the plunge.
All of a sudden, he said a strange look came across her face as they were taking in the views. She stared straight at him "like in a movie," he said. Then, taking her son, Denzel Wilkins-Browning, with her, she stepped up onto a bench and jumped.
“It was so quick, so fast,” Browning said.
Before the phone evidence came to light, the Wilkins' boyfriend knew the truth. He said that she had recently broken down, asking him, "Why don’t you just kill us both?” She had also been asking how high someone would need to fall in order to ensure they died. While Wilkins had been showing signs of paranoia, her family didn't believe the death was intentional. They even hired lawyers to prove otherwise in the months after her death.
Still, in January, police ruled the death to be a murder-suicide.
A witness also told police that it look "100 percent intentional," according to the police report. “Her demeanor walking up was so calm. She didn’t even look down," the witness claimed. "It looked just like she was trying to hop over a fence."
The incident is so disturbing, especially because Wilkins decided to take her toddler with her when she jumped to her death. But now her boyfriend feels that acknowledging the cause of death is important. He says the only way to “honor Denzel and her is to really be truthful.”
“And to grieve in a healthy way, you have to honor the truth,” he said. “I loved her core,” he said of his deceased partner. He also shared that his toddler was "beautiful and he was happy and he got the most out of life.”
Note: If you or any of your loved ones are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can always reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988. They are available 24/7 by phone or online chat.
