Found Alive TX - Christine Woo (fnd dec'd), 39, & 3 kids, Frisco, 28 March 2016

[tiffay01]

This is the first I have read about him being in the military.


Marriage records said Christine Woo, whose maiden name is Christine Thi Nguyen, was born in Seguin and that Brandon Woo was born in Hong Kong.

The former neighbors said they recalled Brandon Woo saying he worked for Rackspace and that his wife may have worked at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

“He always joked that he was in hardware and she was in software,” said another neighbor, who asked not to be identified. “They were great people. Good neighbors.” The neighbor also recalled Brandon Woo saying he was in the Marine Corps.

http://www.expressnews.com/news/loc...s-stunned-to-learn-of-mom-s-death-7224620.php

 

[jjenny]

bbm

I was just going to post this same thought -- maybe they had a bad argument that morning and she had done that type thing before -- staying with a family member or a good friend. Three children of those young ages would certainly be a delight, but also a lot of work, every day, every day, every day, and maybe he wasn't giving her much help at home because he took a lot of work home with him.

He clearly knew she didn't go anywhere. According to him she didn't take any of the things she would have needed if she planned to go stay somewhere.

 

[gratuck1]

The McDonald's is across the street, however where she parked you couldn't see the car from McDonald's.

 

[mrsobrien]

My mother has suffered mental illness all my life. When 3 of us were teens, she had her first big bout and it lasted close to 2 yrs. She begged my dad to stay home daily and not leave her to go to work. The daily activities of shuttling kids to and from school and keeping a house were too overwhelming for her. If he had , he would lose his job and then our problems would have been amplified and he told her this. He could not ' help ' her by staying home. He was not a doctor or a therapist and she was reluctant to go and get help. He said the best thing he could do is keep a roof over our heads and food on the table and it's a good thing he kept his medical insurance through work because she ended up in an extended stay in a hospital. When I was young I wondered why he did not stay home but now I see it would have been fruitless and irresponsible. I'm not assuming that the situation is exactly the same here but staying home from work when you have no idea how to help the person you're staying home to help accomplishes nothing. My 2 cents.

ETA The way things were at home, my dad was probably happy to get to work and have a good distraction for many hours of the day. It was not an easy life during that time.

I hope I did not unintentionally imply that I think Mr. W should have stayed home previous to C's death...only that it appears to me that he was possibly oblivious to his wife's state. I'm sure all of us with families and careers know how difficult it is to maintain balance between our commitments. I struggle!

 

[deweesw]

Interesting links. There are definitely cultural pressures in the Asian community. These range from husband/wife expectations (breadwinner/caregiver), education, and social status. Asians have very high expectations that make it tough if you want to be "normal" or average by today's standards.

I can see how a traditional Asian couple would feel these things today's climate.

 

[borndem]

This post rings so true for me too! And not just Walgreens, but CVS, Wal-Mart, etc., etc. Just an opinion, but I think that you get faster service if you go in person. The situation with waiting for RXs has gotten worse and worse....



Then you posted this about them eating Mickey D's in the car. Thank you! I think she probably did use the drive-thru there. Just not a fan of those play pits and the kiddo always seemed happy with the Happy Meal in my life experiences... It's just so weird! It definitely would be easier to eat at a table and be free to move around and make sure everyone was able to handle their meals. This may be one thing we never know...

I keep thinking how much over-the-counter sleep meds would you have to purchase to OD. Nothing over-the-counter works to help me sleep very well - nadda! Benadryl makes me the sleepiest of anything over-the-counter. If she did take her own life by OD, she must have purchased a huge bottle of sleeping med. If you buy a small quantity they're all in the single wrap, and it seems it would take forever to open enough to do any damage. I dunno! I just couldn't do it. I'd be throwing up. This case literally shocked the you-know-what out of me! I figured they had been abducted! When PerfectingPink posted that they had been found in the Target parking lot, Christine dead, but children alive.... I don't know! It hit me like a ton of bricks!

Prayers for the Woo family! And thank you to our locals for keeping us updated!

bbm

Great post, Boots, all of it!

 

[fabvab]

I looked closely at the pic of Christine and the children walking into Walgreens. It looks like she was dressed nice with a skirt, boots, and scarf...or at least that is what It looks like to me. If it was suicide...and I say, IF, I guess it struck me odd that she was dressed so nice running errands with 3 small children...especially if she was depressed. I guess how she was dressed makes me want to think her death was medically related. Prayers for the Woo family and friends.

 

[borndem]

My mother has suffered mental illness all my life. When 3 of us were teens, she had her first big bout and it lasted close to 2 yrs. She begged my dad to stay home daily and not leave her to go to work. The daily activities of shuttling kids to and from school and keeping a house were too overwhelming for her. If he had , he would lose his job and then our problems would have been amplified and he told her this. He could not ' help ' her by staying home. He was not a doctor or a therapist and she was reluctant to go and get help. He said the best thing he could do is keep a roof over our heads and food on the table and it's a good thing he kept his medical insurance through work because she ended up in an extended stay in a hospital. When I was young I wondered why he did not stay home but now I see it would have been fruitless and irresponsible. I'm not assuming that the situation is exactly the same here but staying home from work when you have no idea how to help the person you're staying home to help accomplishes nothing. My 2 cents..

ETA The way things were at home, my dad was probably happy to get to work and have a good distraction for many hours of the day. It was not an easy life during that time.

Very fine and insightful post, SCHMAE. IMO, your dad did do the right thing for all of you, as you said, and I would think that he had a heavy heart when he left home to go to work some of those mornings, and a heavy heart when he came home. Thanks for sharing that. The situation you describe could very well be a part of what the adult Woo's were experiencing. I'm still not so sure about suicide being a part of this situation, but if it turns out to be so, I will not be surprised, either. Let's hope the autopsy is definitive, and that we won't have to wait for tox screen results.

Thanks for the post.

 

[borndem]

He clearly knew she didn't go anywhere. According to him she didn't take any of the things she would have needed if she planned to go stay somewhere.

Yep, you're right, jjenny. He knew it. We'll see what we'll see -- and I hope it will make some sense...

 

[neesaki]

How tragic, those poor children, I'm wondering if she had a brain aneurysm or something of that nature. Or possibly post-partum depression.

 

[2Hope4]

Sadly this case reminds me of Trenton Duckett. His Mom, Melinda, was also Asian, and from what I remember of that case, mental health is seen as a huge weakness, and many don't seek medical care. To this day, Trenton hasn't been found and believed to be deceased. Melinda committed suicide while Trenton was "missing". :tantrum: He was 2 yrs old at the time. Police seem to think Melinda murdered him, and when the pressure became too much, police weren't believing he was kidnapped, she killed herself.

While I can see a theory of a medical emergency working in this case, I can see the suicide theory as well.

There was a missing person found in a Walmart parking lot, and had been there months and no one noticed the deceased person! It sounds strange, but has happened before.

I would think employees are probably busy to get to work on time, or anxious to leave, and thus not noticing a parked vehicle. Frustrating that whatever company that's hired to clean the parking lot didn't notice the vehicle in the same place, Police didn't notice, and people out searching for the vehicle didn't see it. But it happened.

Prayers for the precious, innocent children. May the memories of the oldest be of happy times, Mom's laughter and smile, McD trips, blowing bubbles, etc, and not of the days in the vehicle. At their ages, sadly there might not be many memories remembered. If they were dehydrated to the point of needing hospitalization, they were probably all lethargic, sleeping a lot, and not actively trying to escape the carseats or vehicle.

Hopefully the ME will find a cause of death and soon for the sake of the family trying to piece together their lives. In my aunt's case, she had a brain aneurysm and was dead immediately, yet it took almost 6 months before we got a report from the state. There was no obvious sign of injury to point to death, but she wrecked her trucked, and it coasted into a tree.

As others have stated, I don't keep my cellphone glued to me either. If I leave it at home, oh well, people survived forever without cellphones or even a telephone! I just don't see it as important enough to check every minute, or be using all day long. Just yesterday a friend was pissed because I hadn't answered her text messages, or phone calls, eh, it is what it is. I was physically busy, and never thought about the stupid phone! About ready to go back to a house phone only and forget the cellphone!

 

[December]

She may have thought she had her phone, who can say?

I think that I am leaning way more toward natural (if unusual) causes than suicide.

I mean, the police would have noticed empty bottles or other packaging when they opened the car if she'd taken enough of any OTC stuff (moo). IDK, it seems really unlikely.

 

[Jen Darme]

Is it sad or weird that I think I know which website you belong to and which online store you are talking about? I think it is a site that all the members just RAVe about :thinking:. Sorry to seem like a stalker, it just struck me when I was reading your post!

Yep, that's the one.

 

[Jen Darme]

Re: going in a drug store vs the drive thru. I'm 5'3" and drive thrus, particularly the ones at drug stores, aren't all short-person or SUV friendly. The ones I've been to have added concrete posts that make it difficult to maneuver close enough to reach the button that opens the drawer or tube container. Questions for the pharmacist are also better handled at the counter vs relayed through the person at the window.

 

[jjenny]

She may have thought she had her phone, who can say?

I think that I am leaning way more toward natural (if unusual) causes than suicide.

I mean, the police would have noticed empty bottles or other packaging when they opened the car if she'd taken enough of any OTC stuff (moo). IDK, it seems really unlikely.

At this time we don't know what police did or didn't notice.

 

[SugarQueen]

Re: going in a drug store vs the drive thru. I'm 5'3" and drive thrus, particularly the ones at drug stores, aren't all short-person or SUV friendly. The ones I've been to have added concrete posts that make it difficult to maneuver close enough to reach the button that opens the drawer or tube container. Questions for the pharmacist are also better handled at the counter vs relayed through the person at the window.

I totally get what you're saying. I'm 4' 11" and never use any drive thru. If I have to open the door and get out to reach I might as well go inside. Lol.

 

[December]

Well, true. We don't know all of what they saw, but a lot of times things like this do get mentioned. But, I emphasize, just my opinion.

 

[SCHMAE]

I hope I did not unintentionally imply that I think Mr. W should have stayed home previous to C's death...only that it appears to me that he was possibly oblivious to his wife's state. I'm sure all of us with families and careers know how difficult it is to maintain balance between our commitments. I struggle!

I didn't get that at all from your post . I have been struggling for a few days with whether or not to share and just decided to do it. Sometimes the obvious answer to some is not the obvious answer to others. Sometimes we don't know what to do in the moment when we have to decide.

 

[mrsobrien]

I didn't get that at all from your post . I have been struggling for a few days with whether or not to share and just decided to do it. Sometimes the obvious answer to some is not the obvious answer to others. Sometimes we don't know what to do in the moment when we have to decide.

I'm glad you shared, thank you. I think you and I are actually viewing the situation similarly.
Looking forward to some answers about Christine's death.

 

[Scout]

At this time we don't know what police did or didn't notice.

Exactly. Also, just because they stated that there were no apparent signs of foul play doesn't mean that her death was not the result of foul play. Similarly, stating that they are not searching for a suspect does not mean they suspect no one. It's an ongoing investigation. Nothing is off the table yet -- homicide, suicide, medical emergency.