Police in Helsinki are closely examining the social media conversations between two teenage girls who died after falling from a building rooftop in the Jätkäsaari district over the weekend, to see whether others may have been involved.
As an investigation began after Saturday's tragic incident involving two 15-year-old girls, police said they did not suspect a crime nor an accident in their deaths.
According to Yle's information, police are also investigating the possibility of suicide, but the probe is still in its early stages and more information is needed.
Police have not commented on details about the case, citing law prohibiting public announcements about investigations of this nature.
Digital trails
The police department's lead investigator, Detective Inspector Crista Granroth, said that investigators do not suspect foul play in the incident and that it is being investigated as a cause of death case.
But she noted that the police have a good understanding of the course of events.
Granroth said police are investigating the girls' social media conversations, adding that they may have used emojis that could be interpreted as belonging to a community. However, the DI did not specify which one.
According to Granroth, investigators have not found evidence suggesting that others may have been involved, however.
"It's that an emoji has been used somewhere, and what that could mean in other contexts is unclear," she said.
Examination of the girls' digital devices, for example, is still in its early stages, according to Granroth.
"When it comes to children, of course, we investigate all possible scenarios very carefully," Granroth said.
Authorities have previously said that something like a social media challenge is not believed to have played a role in the tragedy. Yle's own examination of the case has also not suggested such an influence.
Youth suicide in Finland
Compared to the rest of Europe, Finland has a relatively high suicide rate among people under the age of 25, according to Sami Pirkola, professor of social psychiatry at the Univeristy of Tampere.
Pirkola, who serves as chair of a suicide prevention expert working group, emphasised that there is no discernible upward trend in youths taking their own lives, despite that suicide rates tend to fluctuate from year to year.
He said that the media should treat issues surrounding suicide as neutrally as possible.
"Discussing [the topic] can be a good thing, because many people are confused about the issue. But it's worthwhile [for the media] to avoid drama and emotion when talking about it," Pirkola said.
