A nun was found dead in a well at St Joseph’s Covent in Kureepuzha, Kollam, today. The deceased is Mable Joseph, a native of Pavumba, Karunagapally. Initial reports state that it is a case of suicide. The 42-year-old allegedly wrote a suicide note which stated that she took the drastic step as she could not bear the health problems and allergies she was facing. Stating that no one was responsible for her death, she asked that she be kept in prayers. Mable also wrote that her body could be found inside the well.
Mable’s body was discovered when the inmates of the convent went looking for her as she was missing for the morning prayers.
The nun is said to have joined the convent a month ago. Police have stated that a detailed probe would be carried out pertaining to the incident.
Kerala is known for its cases that involve nuns and wells. Based on reports, there have been around 20 odd cases of nuns discovered dead in wells in various convents in Kerala since 1987 including the sensational Sister Abhaya Case, wherein a Catholic nun Abhaya was found dead in a well on March 27, 1992. Twenty eight years later, a special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram found two accused guilty of murdering her.
More recently, is the news of that of a nun found dead at Vazhakkala in Ernakulam. Sr Juseena Thomas, 45, who resided at St Thomas Convent, Vazhakkala was found dead in a pond near an abandoned quarry. Other members of the convent noticed that Sr Juseena had gone missing when one of them went to call her for lunch. They then informed the police. The nun’s body was later discovered in a pond near the quarry, situated close to the convent. Convent authorities said that Sr Juseena was suffering from depression. In May 2020, 21-year-old Divya P Johnny, a novice, was found dead in a well at her convent in Thiruvalla, while in September 2018, Sr Susan Mathew, a teacher at St Stephen school, Pathanapuram, was found dead in the well near her convent.
In all these cases, neither the convent officials nor the diocese lodged an FIR or conducted an investigation to find out the reason for the deaths. However, after each incident, they conducted a burial and issued a press statement saying, “Normal Death”.
