Guess the Race: Man Holding Dead Wife For 2 Hours in -23ºC Cold!

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Old Man Holds Dead Wife’s Body For Hours, Refusing to Let Go

by Fauna on Friday, December 19, 2014

Shenyang Old Woman Suddenly Dies During Cold Night, Husband Clutches Her Dead Body for 2 Hours Refusing to Let Go

Old husband sits on the ground, wrapping his arms and clothes around her dead body, unwilling to let go–

An old couple from Fushun [in Liaoning province] who work in Shenyang did not live a life of luxury but had each other to depend on. However, this life that is so ordinary that it could not be any more ordinary is one that Old He can no longer continue enjoying. Last night, as his wife walked out of a pharmacy she had purchased medicine from, she suddenly collapsed and died. Unable to accept this turn of events, Old He fell to the ground, and in a world of ice and snow, he sat there holding his wife’s corpse for two hours unwilling to let go. “I’m not cold, I just want to hold her a little longer for the last time. I won’t be able to ever again!”

Passersby extended a hand to help after old lady collapsed

Around 5:30pm on the 17th, at No. 85 Shenzhou Road in Shenhe district [of Shenyang], an old lady was walking and suddenly collapsed, her breathing faint. The surrounding crowd did not just stand by and not help but instead proactively went forward, with some helping the elderly person up and others unbuttoning her jacket. One young woman squatted beside the old lady and commenced CPR. After multiple attempts, the old lady exhibited no response, deeply unconsciousness. Those around quickly called 120 [the emergency number for medical care/paramedics].

The white plastic bag that the old lady had been carrying was spilled across the ground. Inside had been two boxed meals and a box of cough medicine. 110 [police] and 120 arrived and through examination, they pronounced the old lady dead. Police did not find any identifying information on the old woman’s body. Some of the bystanders pointed out that the cough medicine looked like it was just purchased, “how about we first check if there are any pharmacies nearby, as they might have clues [about who she is]!” About 200 meters east of where she had collapsed was a pharmacy and upon entering, police indeed obtained some information from the salesperson who said the box of cough medicine was indeed purchased there. “Just a bit before 5pm, she indeed came in here to buy medicine, but there wasn’t any obvious signs of anything wrong with her at the time. She just purchased and left.”

Old husband unbuttoned his jacket to hold his old wife closer to him

A bystander said elderly people like to join membership clubs, so maybe a membership card might have her address and telephone number. After turning up a membership card the old lady used, police found the fixed line telephone number the old lady had used, as well as learned that she was surnamed Song, and 63 years old. When the number was dialed, it was her son-in-law who answered.

Upon learning what happened, the son-in-law ran ran to the scene. At around 6:30pm, the son-in-law appeared and confirmed that the deceased was his mother-in-law, and immediately called his father-in-law.

A bit over 10 minutes later, the deceased’s husband arrived on the scene. After seeing his wife, his was an expression of loss. After walking around her body, he knelt down on the ground, and buttoned up each of the buttons the Good Samaritan who administered CPR had unbuttoned. Then, he unbuttoned the buttons on his own coat and clothes inside one by one, sat down onto the ground, and held her close in his arms, for a long time refusing to let her go.

Time passed minute by second, but even half an hour after sitting there holding his life partner, the old man refused to get up. In the cold winter night, the surrounding bystanders were moved by what they saw before them, as they remained where they stood afraid of disturbing the man and his dead wife. Some bystanders, store owners, and police even found cardboard and styrofoam asking the old grandpa to place them underneath him so he won’t catch a cold, but they were all politely refused. “I’m not cold, I’m fine, I don’t want to get up yet, I want to hold her for a little longer just one last time, as I won’t have a chance to do so ever again.”

Bystanders moved to sobs and sighs

Witnessing the old man’s stubbornness, bystanders and police together lifted him up and placed the cardboard under him and the styrofoam under his legs, as well as put on a pair of gloves that a passerby had brought over. Over a dozen bystanders voluntarily encircled the old couple to block the wind for them, hoping to extend their last moment together for a little longer. After another half hour, 96144 [funeral parlor, hearse, body removal services] arrived and wanted to remove the body, but when old man still clung to her in his arms refusing to let go, bystanders were less understanding. “Being like this is also disrespectful to the deceased, and pointless as well, so let go and put her in the vehicle!”

The old man ignored the bystanders’ criticism. He called his son in Fushun, saying he wanted to bring the body back to Fushun, and bury her in their hometown. Over an hour later, the deceased’s son arrived having driven over. By then, the old man had already sat on the ground for a full two hours. The son placed his mother’s body in his car. It was only then that the old man who was now rigid from the cold was willing to get up, mumbling to himself: “I didn’t want you go out today, yet you insisted. Why did it have to be today that you left?”

The boxed meals that the old woman had just purchased were for her grandson, which she had not yet been able to deliver to him before she passed away. After the old man was pulled away, bystanders who had looking on remained for a long time unwilling to leave, with multiple women having tears in their eyes, stifling sobs. “Too touching, for a husband and wife to be like this in their lives is something no money or wealth can buy.”

2014 December 17th, around 7:50pm, on the east side of the Fengtian Street and Shenzhou Road intersection in Liaoning province, Shenyang city’s Shenhe district, an elderly man wearing a black hat and black coat sits on a piece of cardboard on the sidewalk, holding in his arms holding his elderly wife who had passed away from a sudden heart attack. Nearby resident Mr. Suo says he had discovered the old woman lying on the ground at around 5:40pm. Around 6pm, 120 [ambulance] arrived and confirmed that the elderly woman had passed away, with the cause of death preliminarily believed to be a heart attack. It wasn’t until nearly 7pm that the elderly man arrived on the scene to be beside his wife, whereupon he he has held her without letting go. Photo is of the elderly man holding his wife.


According to a family member who arrived later, the old man is surnamed He, from Fushun, that the elderly couple were both 63 years of age this year, and have been living in Shenyang for many years now. The old man works in Shenyang’s Hunnan district, while the old woman lives in a nearby home. The old woman had gone out to buy medicine at a pharmacy. Because the old man wants to bury his wife in their hometown, he is currently waiting for his son in Fushun to drive over and pick them up and take them both there. Photo is of the elderly man holding his wife.


Mr. Suo says when Grandpa He first arrived, he wasn’t wearing gloves. Within 10 minutes of him sitting there, both his hands were red from the cold, so he [Mr. Suo] rushed home to get a pair of gloves for the old man, as well as some cardboard and a styrofoam box for him to sit on them to insulate him from the cold ground. Having sat holding his wife for nearly two hours, Grandpa He’s body was already rigid and his face pale from the cold. Photo is of the elderly man holding his wife.


At 8:10pm, Grandpa He held his wife tightly as before, every so often tidying her hair and moving her legs. “Grandpa, the weather is too cold. If you keep on like this, something bad will happen to you too. Hurry and get up, please!” urged the people around Grandpa He for him to get up. But Grandpa He only nodded his head, saying quietly: “It’s okay, don’t worry, let me be with her a little longer, the car will arrive soon.” Photo is of the elderly man holding his wife.


At 8:39pm, after persevering for nearly two hours, Grandpa He’s son finally arrived. Upon seeing his son pick up his wife’s body, and with the support of the crowd, Grandpa He left. Photo is of the elderly man holding his wife.

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