Body of recluse left undiscovered for weeks amid ‘hoarded items’
NEIGHBOURS HAD NOT SEEN WOMAN FOR A MONTH
A “recluse” was tragically found dead in her bed surrounded by the household items she hoarded.
Dorothy Darnley, 66, of Suffolk Street, off Beverley Road, was discovered by police after neighbours had not seen her for around a month.
PCSOS were tasked with speaking to all residents on the street on September 24, last year as part of a “gating scheme” after complaints of gardens overhanging.
But when a PCSO knocked on the door of Ms Darnley’s home and got no answer, she became concerned and saw that the bins had not been emptied and that there were flies on the inside of the door.
After speaking to neighbours about the last sighting of Ms Darnley, the PCSO rang for back up and officers sadly discovered her decomposed body in a nightgown in her living room.
A public inquest held at Hull Coroners’ Court heard that a taxi driver was the only person that had contact with Ms Darnley as she had no friends or family.
He gave evidence that Ms Darnley had used the taxi service for around two years as she did not drive.
The driver helped her with her shopping and bills every one to two weeks as she struggled to walk.
Although he did not regard himself as a friend, and only helped her in a work capacity, he wanted to assist her and she would give him a list of things to do and buy him fish and chips as a thank you.
He last saw Dorothy in July 2019 when she rang for a taxi and asked him to do the shopping.
The court heard that he was shocked to hear that she had died as he thought she was healthy apart from problems with her legs.
A neighbour told the police that she had last seen Ms Darnley in May 2019, but regularly heard her talking to herself and another neighbour last saw her a month prior to her being found.
PC Newport gave evidence that he discovered Ms Darnley was “recluse” and said neighbours had reported concerns.
He said that the living room was filled with household items, making it hard for officers to move and that the house was full of items and that “it was evident Ms Darnley would hoard items”.
A GP also gave evidence that Ms Darnley was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder in the 1990s, an uncommon condition in which people avoid social activities.
The condition means people have a tendency toward a solitary or sheltered lifestyle and consistently shy away from interaction with others, with a limited range of emotional expression.
She was last seen by a doctor in 2012 and was not on any known medication.
Pathologist Dr Ian Richmond carried out a postmortem and found that Ms Darley’s body showed severe decomposition.
He said that there was no evidence of violence and said her death would have happened several weeks prior to her discovery.
Assistant coroner
Lorraine
Harris gave an open conclusion.
She said: “Ms Darnley lived a life of privacy. As such, her death sadly went unnoticed and she was not found for some weeks.
“Due to the passage of time, nature had taken its course and as such, it was not possible to ascertain her cause of death, but suffice to say, at this stage there looks to be no signs of violence.
“I can only have a conclusion of open.”