Perez Hilton's sister recounts blogger's suicide attempt
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Perez Hilton's sister, Barbara Lavandeira, described the harrowing events of his August 4th suicide attempt.
- Lavandeira recounted finding the blogger in his bathroom, covered in blood with a box cutter in hand.
- She detailed how she secured Hilton's three children and called emergency services after the incident.
Barbara Lavandeira, the younger sister of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, has shared a harrowing account of the events surrounding his suicide attempt on August 4th, describing it as one of the darkest days for her family.
August 4 will forever be one of the darkest days that my family and I have ever lived through.
Lavandeira recounted that Mario Lavandeira, Hilton's real name, had been hospitalized for "severe depression" just weeks prior. On the day of the incident, she became concerned when Mario locked himself in his room, which was unusual behavior. After repeated calls to his door went unanswered, she forced her way in and discovered him in the bathroom, naked, covered in blood, and holding a box cutter.
That afternoon, Mario was in his room with the door locked, which was not like him. His door was almost always open.
"When I opened the door, my nightmare came true. Mario was standing in front of the shower, naked, with cuts, covered in blood, with a box cutter in his hand," Lavandeira stated, visibly shaken. She added that she did not recognize her brother in that moment, noting a disturbing change in his eyes. "I felt like I was looking at another person," she confessed.
When I opened the door, my nightmare came true. Mario was standing in front of the shower, naked, with cuts, covered in blood, with a box cutter in his hand.
In the midst of the shock, Lavandeira quickly removed Hilton's three children, Mario, 11, Mia, 8, and Mayte, 6, from the house. Their mother was not home at the time. Once the children were safely in the car, she called 911. She then returned to the house to apply towels to Mario to help stop the bleeding while awaiting the ambulance. Despite significant blood loss, he was still able to speak, albeit weakly.
What I can say with certainty is that I did not recognize my brother when I looked at him. I saw it in his eyes. They were not the same. An instant later, he smiled at me. I felt like I was looking at another person.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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