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Woman kills herself; another tries suicide

By CASEY CORA, Times Staff Writer
Published September 29, 2007

One woman killed herself and another attempted suicide in separate incidents around the Sunshine Skyway bridge Friday morning, officials say.

Investigators were still trying to sort out late Friday how the surviving woman, Dorothe Kadane, 85, of St. Petersburg, ended up in the water. She may have jumped 25 to 30 feet from the bridge's southwest side, or she may have walked into the water, hoping to drown.

Investigators found a note in Kadane's car but did not reveal its contents. She was found floating about 3 miles from Anna Maria Island by U.S. Coast Guard rescuers around 9:30 a.m.

Authorities think she had been in the water for two hours, putting her attempt about the same time as the other woman's suicide on Friday morning.

U.S. Coast Guard rescuers took Kadane to Galati Yacht Sales on Anna Maria Island. She was taken later to Bradenton's Blake Medical Center. Officials say she was "not injured in any way."

Manatee County sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said Kadane will be taken into custody under the Baker Act, which empowers police to take people for a psychiatric evaluation if they believe they might harm themselves or others.

The other woman, Maggie Dennis, 44, of Tampa, jumped from the center span of the bridge - 197 feet, 4 inches at its peak - and was killed, said Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

Investigators say Dennis jumped sometime after 7:22 a.m. She had parked her car on the bridge's center span, left a note inside, then jumped over a rail and plummeted onto the rocks below.

Relatives were in the process of filing a missing person report, Carter said.

Before Friday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said, there have been 44 suicide attempts at the bridge since 2002. Three people have survived.

If you need help

Anyone experiencing a crisis or suicidal feelings can call one of these numbers:

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-784-2433 (1-800-SUICIDE)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK)

[Last modified September 29, 2007, 02:54:51]