Economic hardship, relationship conflicts and family turmoil led three men from the Santa Cruz, province of Guanacaste, to take their own lives within 24 hours. According to a news report filed by Marco Ureña of Guanacaste online news website Primero en Noticias, all three men chose hanging as their means of suicide.

 

The first reported suicide took place on Saturday, July 25^th. Vianney Corrales was in his 30s, but the suicide notes he left for his family seemed to have been written by someone who felt as if he had already lived a very long, hard life that was mostly exacerbated by not making enough money to support his family. His relatives thought he was missing; alas, they found him hanging from a tree not far from his home.

 

Neyfren Soto was 22 years old when he was found in his own bedroom. His mother knew that he had gone out on Saturday morning and was not expected to return until late Sunday; however, he slipped back into his house undetected to take his own life. Mr. Soto had a child on the way; his young girlfriend is eight months pregnant with a boy. Like Mr. Corrales, Mr. Soto also faced economic hardship, marginal employment and family turmoil.

 

Meyber Campos was a 30-year old bull rider from Santa Rosa. He was well-known in the rodeo circuit, which does not pay too much. Mr. Campos had two major issues in his life: marginal employment outside of the rodeos and substance abuse. He was found hanging from a rafter above a long hallway in his country house.

 

This wave of suicides has never been experienced in the communities that make up the Santa Cruz canton, which has been hit hard by a chronic unemployment rate that is higher than the national average across Costa Rica. As reported by The Costa Rica Star in October 2013:

 

In the 21st century, the province of Guanacaste has become a land of contradictions. Known for many decades as the “forgotten province” of Costa Rica, Guanacaste these days is a land of luxury yachts, extravagant resorts, impressive mansions, ultra high-tech aerospace firms, top-notch research universities, and excruciating unemployment.

 

One of the problems faced in Santa Cruz is that tourism and luxury real estate development have largely displaced agriculture, which used to be the main industry. The local technical and vocational schools mostly teach agricultural topics when they should offer courses to prepare students for careers in tourism, the new main industry of this canton.