Woman died from drugs overdose

A WOMAN found dead by her daughter had consumed a number of prescription drugs and cocaine, an inquest has heard.

Yvonne Millis, 47, of Commercial Street, Oswaldtwistle, was discovered unresponsive at her home by her daughter Chelsea Barton on July 20, 2019.

A hearing in Blackburn heard that Miss Millis had taken around five overdoses in the previous eight years but on those occasions she had either sought help or been in the presence of others.

The inquest heard that post mortem examination found no natural cause of death but toxicology reports found the presence of prescription drugs as well as evidence of cocaine use and consumption of alcohol.

The most likely cause of death was given as drug toxicity.

The court heard from

Chelsea Barton who said she had last seen her mother on July 13 and had later been misinformed by a neighbour that they had heard Miss Millis in her home after she did not answer the door to Miss Barton the following Thursday.

Miss Barton said her mother had had a number of episodes in her life that had caused her difficulty and that she suffered from anxiety and depression for which she was medicated with prescribed drugs.

She said that she was aware that in recent years her mother had ‘binged’ alcohol and cocaine but in other periods had abstained from those substances.

With regards to the previous overdoses, she said: “I thought it was an attention thing.”

PC Martin Rawcliffe attended Miss Millis’s home after being alerted by the ambulance service.

He said he found an open medicine box with pills near the body and an number of hand written notes in the room. He said he had found no suspicious circumstances or third party involvement in the death.

Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor said the difference between this and other previous overdose episodes was ‘that she has done it while on her own and left notes’.

Mr Taylor recorded a conclusion of suicide.