Residents of a community in Portland are still desperately trying to find out what could have caused a respected Christian lady to have attempted to commit suicide recently.

The woman, the vice-principal of a prominent high school in her community, was reportedly found with her throat slashed and a knife in her hand, inside a bathroom at her home, police told THE STAR.

The Manchioneal police say the incident occurred about midday last Sunday, while the vice-principal was at home with her husband, brother-in-law and mother-in-law having a family meeting.

"She left to use the bathroom but because she had been in there a while, her husband went to check on her," a policeman from the station said. "When he went there, he reportedly found her in the bathroom with a knife in her right hand and a wound to her neck. She was rushed to the Princess Margaret Hospital before being transferred to the Kingston Public Hospital."

The officer said they had intially logged the incident as an attempted suicide but would be conducting thorough investigations.

He said there were differing reports as to what might have triggered such an act. He said that on one hand, the argument was that the lady attempted suicide because she was depressed. While, on the other hand, some persons in the community were of the view that she tried to end her life because she was having marital problems.

An attempt to get a comment from the family was unsuccessful as they declined to speak on the matter, and several calls to the school and its principal were not answered.

Residents, in the meantime, say that the incident has left the community in doubt, as the Christian couple were seen as upright citizens and devout churchgoers who always had encouraging words for others. "It shake up the community, yuh nuh, because they are like role models in here," one said.

Since news of the near-fatal incident broke last week, residents say various stories have been circulating as to what could have led to the incident.