It is being called a mercy related killing: an 84-year-old man suffocates his wife, then tries to end his own life.
Posted: 4:34 AM Jul 16, 2010
Reporter: Blayne Alexander
Email Address: blayne.alexander@wrdw.com
July 16, 2010
AUGUSTA, Ga. --- It is being called a mercy related killing: an 84-year-old man suffocates his wife, then tries to end his own life.
Eighty-four-year-old Gene Goode Bailey was found dead in her bed early Friday morning. Her husband, Henry Wright Bailey, was found on the floor beside her. Investigators say he suffocated his wife with a plastic bag, then tried to kill himself by overdosing on medication. He was found and rushed to Trinity Hospital, where he is in stable condition.
Gene was in advanced stages of dementia and confined to a bed. Investigators say they were both in failing health, and Henry was upset over his wife's condition. The couple recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and have no history of domestic violence.
Neighbors on Dresden Way say the couple lived there for more than 30 years.
"We didn't believe it," says Mary Mahoney, a long time neighbor. "I'm just so sorry this happened. Everyone is sick about it."
Mahoney has lived around the corner from the Baileys for 34 years.
"I never heard anything bad about them. They were wonderful people," she remembers. "You could just tell when you talked to them, they were getting older."
Experts say unfortunately, events like this are not uncommon.
"As we age, we do face more health challenges," says Lauren Spivey, with the Richmond County Area Agency on Aging. "With all of those things comes a loss of independence, a sense of being more vulnerable."
Spivey advocates for elder rights and says for elderly people facing a terminal illness, suicide sometimes seems like the only option.
"Depression is under reported in older adults, however it is prevalent. It is on the increase," she says.
And now, friends of Gene and Henry have their memories:
"Going to neighborhood parties in their backyard, it was always so pretty," Mahoney recalls.
And are preparing to say goodbye.
"I feel really sad, because I've already been to one funeral and now there will be another one," Mahoney says. "That happens when you get old. You have to expect it."
Henry Bailey will face murder charges for his wife's death. Georgia has a law dealing specifically with mercy killings. It says they are not condoned and there will be no leniency with punishment.
Bailey was a long time surgeon at Doctor's Hospital. Neighbors tell News 12 he retired many years ago and was well known and respected in the community.
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