The health of first responders is in the spotlight tonight after three new York city police officers killed themselves in less than 10 days.
And this issue is hitting home for one Minnesota mom.
Carol Castle talked to her son the night before. The two were planning to meet for lunch the next day. But her son, Maury Roemhild, never showed. Castle, who lives in Coon Rapids, said her son was 31 when he committed suicide. He was a firefighter with the Maple Grove Fire Department.
Two years later, she still remembers their last conversation.
“It was about 10:20 p.m. My last conversation with him was when he was staying at my house. It was 10:20 at night. He said, ‘Bye mom, I will see you in the morning and he said 'Bye, I love you.'”
Suicide has been increasing in the U.S.
In 2017, more firefighters died by suicide than in the line of duty, according to the Ruderman Family Foundation.