July 23, 2008 Mother facing foreclosure commits suicide Play video

(Prat Thakkar, NECN: Taunton, MA) - In Taunton, Massachusetts police say a woman who was about to lose her home to foreclosure took her own life.

Police say 53-year-old Carlene Balderrama used her husband's high-powered rifle to kill herself Tuesday afternoon, just 90 minutes before her home was to be sold at auction.

Balderrama faxed a letter to her mortgage company saying that by the time they foreclosed on her house, she would be dead. The mortgage company notified authorities who found her body an hour later.

Police say she left a note to her family telling them to take the life insurance money to pay for the house.

Material from the Associated Press is included in this report.