Oksana Patchin, 39, and her 5-year-old daughter Olivia died on January 10 when Patchin jumped from a 12-story building in New York City with her child in her arms. Police said the Brooklyn woman jumped from the building at 540 W. 53rd St., in Hell’s Kitchen, at around 1:40 p.m. The mother and daughter were taken to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital and were pronounced dead, the New York Post reported.
According to the Post, Patchin was not a resident of the building but was visiting a friend and told her she wanted to borrow her key card to show her daughter the roof. Surveillance video of the roof showed Patchin pacing before eventually climbing a security gate, grabbing her daughter and jumping off, authorities told the outlet.
“It really shook me up that it happened,” a tenant told the Post. “It’s very, very disturbing.”
Patchin’s Mother Said Her Daughter Was Battling Depression & Was Attempting to Reduce Her Medication
Patchin’s mother spoke to the Post on January 11 and said the 39-year-old mother had been struggling with depression and was in the process of reducing her medication when she killed herself and her daughter. Her mother said Patchin had a difficult divorce from her husband this summer and had since been prescribed three different drugs.
However, her mother said Patchin was trying to wean herself off the pills and had been breaking them into smaller pieces. The Post reported that it was unclear whether this approach was advised by medical professionals. Authorities said that Patchin told her friends the medications made her feel strange and she didn’t like taking them, the Post wrote.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with assistance in English and Spanish. You can also speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 by texting HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
Patchin Filed for Bankruptcy Protection in 2019 but a Source Told the Post ‘Everything Was Going Great With Her’
Patchin’s marriage had ended recently, with the mother filing for divorce from her husband in August. She also filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019 with over $98,000 in credit card debt, the Post reported. Patchin was employed by French bank CIC in Manhattan as a bank officer, a position she had held since June 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Patchin was born in Kirovohrad, Ukraine, and studied English and Russian philology before moving to the U.S., where she studied accounting at Baruch College, her Facebook profile shows. Her LinkedIn page indicates that she graduated from Baruch College in 2013.
Before her death, Patchin had just registered her 5-year-old daughter in school and they attended a dance lesson on January 9, the Post reported. Afterward, Patchin told her mother, “Olivia liked it. We will be every Saturday to dance.” Her mother said Patchin had been doing well: “She was doing better. She was going to the gym. She was healthy. All her friends said, ‘You must be strong. You have a daughter. She needs you.’”
A family friend agreed and told the Post, “Everything was going great with her. I can’t believe this. This is terrible.”
READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says