In the movie Babel, why do the Japanese man and his daughter have different stories about the mother's death?

Question

The daughter said she jumped off of the balcony and the father said she shot herself. What am I missing here?

Answer 1

Simple. The girl lied. The girl is trying to get attention, and she is trying to draw the cop out on the balcony. She is troubled, and one of her defenses is lying.

Answer 2

Maybe her father is telling the lies since she had said that she saw her mother jump of a balcony. The father is trying to sooth her, so it doesn't effect her life in many ways.