Heartbreak, love unrequited and a deep feeling of lost hope are being cited as the reasons that drove an English teacher to take his own life in Costa Rica. According to a news report filed by Gerin Portilla of daily tabloid Diario Extra, Cristobal Oviedo Ocontrillo decided to jump from the Saprissa Bridge in Tibas, a northern suburb of San Jose, after telling his elderly mother that he was going out for a walk.

 

Red Cross rescuers rushed to the bridge and quickly descended the trash-filled ravine when they received a 911 call; alas, they found the lifeless body of Mr. Oviedo resting on a concrete slab near the riverbank. According to the brother of the dearly departed, Mr. Oviedo had attempted suicide a few days ago at his own house in La Florida, a neighborhood in Tibas.

 

Mr. Oviedo’s brother told Diario Extra that he found out about his brother’s death after browsing social media updates on his smartphone. A mental health practitioner had warned the family about Mr. Oviedo’s potential for suicide, particularly after the failed attempt at a self-inflicted overdose.

 

The dearly departed Mr. Oviedo left behind six siblings. He was the youngest and the only one to settle on a career teaching English as a foreign language, a profession that he had been practicing for a few months; in fact, he was working on Master of Education degree while working at the Los Pinos School in Aurora, a populous district of Alajuelita. He had planned to teach English at a higher level in Costa Rica, but he realized that he needed to get his personal life in order prior to executing on his career plans.

 

Relatives of Mr. Oviedo explained that he had gotten married about a year ago to a woman from Alajuelita. A couple of months ago, Mr. Oviedo received notice of his wife’s intention to divorce, an incident that drove him to deep depression. He was upset at his ex-wife’s request for palimony in the amount of $200 per month, which he had paid timely until his suicide. The divorce reached a point of bitterness during the separation of marital property; his ex-wife apparently wanted to keep appliances and furniture that were acquired on credit, which left Mr. Oviedo stuck with monthly payments at a high rate of interest.