The stark juxtaposition of life and death often leaves us grappling with the incomprehensible. The tragic story of a Nagpur-based couple Jeril and Anne Moncriff is a chilling illustration of this. As was supposed to be, their 26th wedding anniversary was a night of joyful revelry with the couple enjoying it with their loved ones. However, what followed after has left their family and everybody around them reeling. They are still in shock over the fact that the couple who was enjoying themselves, a few hours earlier, had carefully orchestrated a pact of self-destruction.
It is heartbreaking and baffling at the same time that they were able to celebrate their love for each other with friends and family till midnight and then go home to take their final move, bidding a “Goodbye”.
The details of their deaths are full of symbolism, which heightens the poignancy of their decision. Even after 26 years of their marriage, Anne was dressed in her wedding dress when she was buried in white, decked with flowers—a poignant reminder of her bridal celebration.
That action alone speaks of a conscious romance, a final embrace of vows made. Jeril’s finishing off the ritual by laying her to rest and then killing himself propagates the notion of an orchestrated and well-planned exit. The act appears to indicate an overwhelming and inseparable bond between which neither would prefer to survive after the other’s demise.
Instead of relinquishing clarity, the careful arrangements made by the couple further built mystery into their affair. Saying goodbye to friends on social media, recording a video message telling the family to look after other children and writing a will on stamp paper appeared like an intentional move. Although they did make others clear, their motives are still unknown. They lived what seemed like a life of love and happiness with others. This, however, contradicts the notion of suicide as an action born out of despair or deep-seated conflict. The joyful celebration only hours before their death only adds to this confusion, leaving everyone struggling to bridge the picture of a loving couple with a tragic end.
The grieving locality of Martin Nagar (Nagpur) is proof of the impact that the couple had on them, which, in turn, makes their actions more incomprehensible. They were buried hand-in-hand in a common coffin, as they wanted; this only added to the poignancy of their finality. That wish again speaks much about their relationship and the depth of love, even as they approached the end of their lives.
For a third-generation undertaker, Vijay Alick Michael, who has been making coffins for five decades, he said that this is the first time he has made a coffin for a couple, which speaks a lot to the uniqueness of the situation.
However, the family of the Nagpur-based couple said that Jeril’s professional background as a chef and also not returning back to work after the pandemic might add some more layers to the character. His business of lending on interest might, too. This might be part of Anne’s history as a housewife, or maybe it does not make it any clearer. The police investigation, along with forensic analysis of their mobile phones, might hopefully shed light on the many questions people ask. Yet no one can even ensure that those investigations would entirely expose the motivation behind this unfortunate tragedy.
In their tragic deaths, Jeril and Anne Moncriff remind us that human relationships can be complex. The human spirit is unfathomable, making it impossible for us to have answers to more questions than are raised. Even as we weep for this couple who went to death in their embrace of life, we remain puzzled by the imponderable reasons that propelled them to their tragic end.