A mate of mine died at his own hands too but he didn't phone anyone or leave messages.

He suffered from depression and we were told that an illness like that meant that he simply wasn't aware of what he was doing.

Your bloke sounds like he had a similar problem that he reacted to slightly differently.

As above, even if she had answered the phone, he would have tried again and she has nothing to blame herself for. Maybe she could see a counsellor to help reassure her.