Tragedy as mum, 38, found dead in field 7 days after kids arrived to empty home | UK | News

A mother who came home with her two children and found her house empty was found dead in the field after a massive search that lasted seven days. Rebecca Holdham, 38, disappeared after leaving her home in Hassocks, Sussex, on Sunday, September 7. Two days earlier, the company manager of a plumbing company had resigned from his position. Her two children were out, but when they came home they found their mother was not there and the alarm was raised.

Friends and locals joined the search as drones, dogs and a police helicopter searched nearby fields and woodland. But on September 14, Sussex Police said a body had been found and police had set up a tent in a field near The Thatched Inn pub, just behind the main road between Hassocks and Burgess Hill. The location was about half a mile from his home.

Coroner Eve Wilton said: “The autopsy concluded that drug consumption contributed to the cause of death.”

The investigation stated that the single mother’s death was caused by drugs, and the autopsy showed that the initial cause of death was “acute and chronic” drug use.

Deputy coroner Lisa Milner said the background report and the family’s concerns will be investigated.

“If he is known for drug and alcohol misuse services, I will decide whether a report is required,” the coroner said.

A full investigation is expected in April next year.