Father Sends Final Message To Son After Receiving Nearly $17,000 Child Support Request

Note: This article recounts an incident from June 2015.

A tragic event unfolded when a father took his own life after receiving a demand for nearly $17,000 in child support.
lan Sandywell, 45, sent a message to his son Ben, 22, upon receiving the notice, saying, “Please delete me from your life. I’m going to hang myself.”

Hours later, Sandywell’s wife, Jo-ann Balsamo, found him in their garage, where he had ended his life, according to media reports.
Balsamo explained that he had called her earlier that day, visibly distressed about the financial burden.
“He was very upset and crying. He was worried about how much they were asking for, which was about $800 per month. It was overwhelming for him,” she said.

Balsamo added, “I was surprised by how deeply it affected him this time. He had received similar letters before and had planned to appeal. By the end of our conversation, he seemed calmer, and we parted on normal terms.”
The letter, received from the Child Support Agency, informed Sandywell that he owed back payments for his son dating back to the previous November.

An inquiry into his death revealed that Sandywell had also shared his concerns with his parents. He exchanged around 40 text messages with his son that day, ending with, “I’m sorry Ben, I love you.”

Balsamo contacted emergency services upon finding his body, but it was too late. An autopsy later showed that Sandywell had alcohol in his system, twice the legal limit for driving.

(Sources: Mirror, Daily Mail)