Warning: This article contains details that come readers may find upsetting
A woman who's decomposed body was discovered more than three years after her death sent a heartbreaking final message to her family.
Laura Winham's 'mummified and almost skeletal' remains were found by her brother and mom in May 2021, more than three years on from when she as said to have died in her Surrey, UK, apartment.
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An inquest at Surrey Coroner's Court determined the 41-year-old's cause of death was 'unascertained' and deemed it impossible to determine a time when she passed away, until a calendar in her flat was found which showed she had crossed off dates up until November 1, 2017.
The court further heard how Ms Winham was vulnerable with mental health issues and that she was left to 'fend for herself' when local authorities failed to step in.
The heartbreaking tale of how the woman was left for years without anyone raising the alarm is made all the more tragic by her last message to her family.
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Ms Winham's family had not seen her in person since 2009 and all contact on social media abruptly stopped in 2014.
She wrote to them on Facebook: "It is best to have minimum/no contact. And communications with the family. It is totally out of my hands. There is nothing I can do. Everything I say will get repeated and relayed back. Be patient.”
Her family said they believed they were respecting her privacy by leaving her alone and said they passed by her apartment to check her car was still outside.
However, they criticized social services for failing to intervene and support her, as noted by Ms Winham's own handwritten notes that she was 'starving' and couldn't believe she was 'surviving this long' without food, reports the BBC.
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Coroner Karen Henderson agreed that there were 'lost opportunities' for agencies and for the local authority to get involved.
A police referral in October 2017 was the closest contact, which would've been a month before she is believed to have died. However, the council's adult social care team only called and wrote to Ms Winham with food bank advice and didn't visit her at home.
The coroner deemed the investigation as 'perfunctory in almost every way' but concluded it was not possible to determine if these 'lost opportunities' contributed towards the woman's death.
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In a statement read out by the family's solicitor, Iftikhar Manzoor, alongside Ms Winham’s brother, Roy, and mother Marilyn, they referred to police raising concerns about her having little food, money and contact with relatives but 'all that happened was a letter'.
"[T]hat was a huge opportunity missed to assess Laura's health and to take action", they continued.
“Laura was clearly a person potentially at risk but she wasn’t deemed worthy of visiting. She was left to fend herself. Even her own diary entries illustrate she was unable to cope. Had adult social care visited Laura’s home within a few days of the referral in October 2017 then Laura would be alive.”
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Ms Winham's sister, Nicky, added: "We knew that contact with us exacerbated her mental health difficulties," as the family went on to say they feared their 'much-loved' daughter and sister would 'harm herself' if they didn't back away.
The attorney continued: "They believed Laura would be in the best possible hands when handing her into the care of professionals – people with much more knowledge and understanding of supporting those with serious mental health issues. Sadly in this instance that was not the case."
"Laura's death must act as a catalyst for change," the statement concluded as the family reiterated they 'never failed' her.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Topics: Mental Health, Social Media, Police, UK News
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