Overview:
A 32-year-old Meyuns man has died in a suspected suicide, prompting renewed concern about self-harm and mental health among young people in Palau. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
By: L.N. Reklai
KOROR, Palau — A 32-year-old man from Meyuns, Koror, died in what police are investigating as a suspected suicide, adding to concerns about self-harm among young people in Palau.
Police received a report early Monday, Sept. 21, about a possible self-harm incident at a residence in Meyuns. Officers responding to the scene were met by the man’s grandfather and uncle.
According to the police report, the man’s grandfather contacted police after finding his grandson in his room. Another officer was already at the residence when additional officers arrived and reported that family members had sought assistance in taking down the body that was hanging from the rafter in his room.
The man was identified as Brett Loi Eungel. Police said Eungel was unmarried and lived with his grandfather.
During the investigation, Eungel’s grandfather gave police three glass pipes that he said he found in his grandson’s room. The grandfather told officers that Eungel had said he used the pipes to smoke marijuana and that he suspected his grandson used methamphetamine.
Police did not report that substance use was a confirmed cause of Eungel’s death.
The death comes amid broader concerns about self-harm and substance use in Palau. A 2023 adult hybrid survey cited in the original report found that Palau’s annual rate of self-harm was about twice the global average.
The survey identified mental health concerns and substance-use disorders among factors associated with self-harm.
The circumstances surrounding Eungel’s death remain under investigation.