Mystery as decomposing body of mum found with knife under her pillow | UK | News

The body of a Sheffield mother who left her six-year-old daughter behind was not found until four weeks after her death, a coroner’s court heard. After Alicia Douglass was found dead in her home on August 7, 2024, police first arrested her former partner on suspicion of murder, but no charges were filed and the investigation was dropped.

But now Sheffield Coroner’s Court has heard how the decomposition of Alicia’s body after being left for two to four weeks made it difficult for police to understand the cause of death. But all the circumstances are not yet understood; Deputy coroner Hannah Berry concluded the cause of the incident was “clear”. The court heard evidence from DS Liam Milner that Alicia appeared unwell and was described as “yellow all over” when she was last seen in July.

The Detective Sergeant also said officers visited his home after he was reported missing by his friend, where they found him lying across his bed with a knife under his pillow and several empty cider bottles in the room.

Yorkshire Live It reported that Alicia’s cousin, Leanne Watts, told the coroner: “We understand that decomposition makes it difficult to identify certain evidence. To me, the circumstances are suspicious in themselves. How can you explain that?”

Another cousin, Hayley Bates, asked the coroner to state the cause of her death. He told the court: “He had a troubled life but left behind a six-year-old daughter.

“If there was one thing she did right, it was being a mother to Ava.”

“Alicia’s mother wants a reason as to why her daughter died, and she wants to be able to tell Ava what happened to her mother.”

The court also heard how, just two weeks before Alicia was found, her former partner was charged over a domestic violence incident several months earlier in February.

DS Milner admitted he was concerned the charge could be “a catalyst for an incident in the flat”; But he said there was no evidence the man was involved and “there was nothing at the scene to suggest any third party was involved.”

The court also heard from the pathologist Dr Dr, who found bruising around her neck from a laryngeal fissure, as well as evidence that Alicia had taken painkillers such as tramadol and mitrazapine, which were not prescribed to her. He also listened to Lumb.

But the decay meant it was not possible to tell the amount of drugs used or whether the fracture contributed to his death.

The court was also shown a GP report which showed Alicia had used alcohol and painkillers, was the victim of sexual assault and had made multiple attempts to take her own life.

Deputy coroner Miss Berry concluded: “Alicia was last seen alive on CCTV on July 23. She had been dead for some time and her body was decomposed. This made further investigations difficult. Dr Lumb was concerned that there may have been pressure applied to her neck but was unable to confirm this.”

“Police fully investigated the incident but found nothing suspicious. The investigation revealed that friends and acquaintances reported that Alicia was unwell. Alicia in particular was yellow and vomiting. She reported having difficulty eating and being very weak.

“Consequently, on the balance of probabilities it cannot be said how Alicia died. There are many possible explanations, but on the balance of probabilities it cannot be said. Therefore, as to the cause of death, I accept Dr. Lumb’s inconclusive cause. My conclusion as to the cause of Alicia’s death is clear.”