Police have released more tragic details in the case of a mom and teenage daughter who were found dead in their home.
Alphonsine Djiako Leuga, 47, and her daughter, Loraine Choulla, 18, were found dead at their Nottinghamshire, England home in May last year.
Officials from Nottingham Police, the Nottinghamshire Coroner's Service and the East Midlands Ambulance Service appeared in court to reveal their findings during an inquiry this week.
It revealed that Alphonsine had called 999 for an ambulance that never came, as it was incorrectly labeled an 'abandoned call'.
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She had been treated for a lower respiratory tract infection weeks before her death.
Detective Con Jack Cook of the Nottinghamshire Police explained that authorities believe Alphonsine - who had sickle cell anaemia - died not long after making the call to the emergency services.
Meanwhile Loraine, who had Down's syndrome and learning difficulties and was ‘entirely dependent’ on her mom, had been alive until 28 February.
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Alphonsine died of 'pneumonia of uncertain cause', while Lorraine's cause of death remains 'unascertained'.
Authorities believe that, tragically, Lorraine died before her 18th birthday in April.
It's now been revealed that Cook had paid a visit to the family's home in 2023, to support social services, the BBC reports.
At that time, he reported there being plenty of food in the fridge and the house itself being clean.
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Yet, that was a far-cry from the scene that greeted officers after the mom and daughter were found dead in May.
This time, the house was filled with half-eaten and moldy food. Another heart-wrenching update told how Lorraine had made a 'den' for herself in one of the bedrooms, between two beds.
It was also disclosed that Leuga made the emergency call using her daughter's tablet.
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Analysis of the device revealed multiple missed calls - including several from the hospital where Leuga had recently received treatment for a lower respiratory tract infection.
Despite the lack of answered calls, investigators believe the teen may have replied to some messages using pre-set or stock text responses.
East Midlands Ambulance Service said in a statement following the inquest: "I am truly sorry that we did not respond as we should have to Alphonsine Djiako Leuga and Lorraine Choulla. Our deepest condolences remain with their family,” Keeley Sheldon, Director of Quality at the organization, said in the statement. "We fully accept the Coroner's findings. After our internal investigation, we made changes to our policies, procedures and training to ensure this does not happen in future."
Ellie Kemp