At a low-income residence for the elderly in Kingsbridge, a resident opened their window one recent grey morning and plunged to their death, spattering on the pavement.

The suicide, happening at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Webb Avenue Residence directly across from the James J. Peters Veterans Administration Hospital, startled plenty of onlookers even as a security guard draped a white blanket over the body. Many began their work day with the disturbing image burned in their mind, and plenty of questions.

The suicide wasn’t even a blip in the local media’s radar, except the Norwood News’, which made note of the death with a brief statement from the home’s spokespeople. Suicides are barely reported in the news media. They’re deliberately kept discreet to avoid copycat suicide. Media practitioners simply don’t want blood on their hands.

But there are exceptions to the media-suicide rule, this being one of them. After all, the suicide was an uncommon one at a well-respected institution that bills itself as a pleasant community.

There are so many unanswered questions, with the primary one being what led this resident to declare Feb. 24 to be the day they wanted to die? Why did they not seek help? Was it a man or a woman? Why are there no window guards except on the first floor? What could have prevented this? The bigger question: Did staffers at the facility notice any basic warning signs the resident was in trouble? The facility has on-site supportive services. What went wrong?

Here are some hard statistics on suicide:

• The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates older adults 65+ are more prone to committing suicide than the national average.

• The CDC sees older men kill themselves more than older women: 30.9 percent within the age 65+ bracket, and 48.5 percent past 85+.

• The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention estimates one in four senior citizens in New York State commits suicide.

• Depression among senior citizens is a gateway to suicide.

And though senior citizens are at the greatest risk, only a handful of programs are available to them.

Seniors serve as the link to our past, living historians who share a snapshot of yesteryear. But they can often feel neglected, viewed as an afterthought. With some friends and family out of the picture, loneliness creeps in to the point where nothing matters anymore.

The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Webb Avenue Residence has always been an upstanding home, making this suicide more troubling even with its 11.6 percent residents who require anti-psychotics. Among its network of services are on-site training for its staffers to detect elder abuse, and a Speakers Bureau that addresses suicide in the elderly.

We would be remiss if we didn’t include some basic tips in detecting suicide among seniors:

• Growing mental problems such as anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia lead to a higher propensity for suicide.

• Social isolation; staying in the apartment for long periods of time.

• Diagnosis of a fatal illness.

• A life change, such as the recurring illness or death of a spouse, financial hardships, and retirement.

Memorials are held at residences, but they soon go away. One hopes organizers at the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Webb Avenue Residence can turn this tragedy into a learning experience by beginning a hard a conversation on suicide while keeping a careful eye. It’s an uncomfortable talk on a subject, which judging by statistics, could very well have crossed the mind of at least one resident there.