‘Lovely’ girl found dead where dad took own life
SHE WAS DISCOVERED BY A GROUP OF CHILDREN
A DERBYSHIRE teenager was found hanged in the same spot where her father took his own life when she was just six, an inquest heard.
Mia Bell, 15, a pupil at Alfreton’s David Nieper Academy, was found by a group of children in woodland near her home, Derbyshire Times reports.
The children approached a dog walker who investigated after they told him they had “seen a demon in the woods”.
On finding Miss Bell, the dog walker alerted the emergency services, who performed CPR and managed to regain a pulse.
She was taken to King’s Mill Hospital, in Sutton, then transferred to Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre, but deteriorated and died on August 31, 2017.
Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard on Friday that Miss Bell was “a troubled young woman with a history of self-harm and hearing voices”.
She also intermittently suffered from suicidal thoughts and hallucinations, and spoke of a vision she some- times had of a “little girl with black hair” who “told her to hurt herself”.
The court heard Miss Bell had been an outgoing and happy child who loved attending sleepovers and parties, until her father Steven committed suicide in 2008.
Miss Bell “became quite withdrawn” and never got over the loss of her dad, regularly visiting the spot where he took his own life and leaving beer, flowers and notes.
When mum, Kelly Duffield, began a new relationship, Miss Bell had difficulties accepting her stepdad, forming a perceived rejection that caused her to leave the family home despite their efforts to make her feel loved and included.
In a formally-arranged foster agreement, Miss Bell moved in with her older cousin Carissa Bell, a “nurturing” figure in her life, and seemed very happy.
The day Miss Bell died, she had cheerfully been helping out in the garden and Carissa had no reason to suspect anything was wrong. Carissa said: “Mia’s dad’s ashes were never buried – they were in storage. She didn’t have a grave she could go to, so she would visit the woods.
“The day she left, she told me she was going to the woods before “they were taken down” as the area was being redeveloped for housing. I didn’t think I had any reason to worry, as it was such a regular thing.”
Giving evidence, mental health professionals who worked with Miss Bell in the months leading up to her death said they had been optimistic that she was improving.
Chris Kirk, clinical pathway lead at Derbyshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS), said: “Mia was a very pleasant young lady who had been through some difficult times. When it comes to the loss of her dad, I don’t know if a permanent resolution could ever have been found.
“But we were looking at ways of helping her cope and, to my mind, things seemed to be getting better.” And Sue Towers, young people’s counsellor at Speaksafe Relate, said: “Mia seemed to be improving and was responding really well to counselling. I was so proud of her.”
Assistant coroner for Derbyshire, Peter Nieto, concluded that Miss Bell died from hypoxic brain injury and hanging, and had undertaken a “deliberate act”.
He added: “Mia had written three notes which were found near to her which clearly read as suicide notes.
“She had chosen the place of her father’s death and his death clearly preoccupied her.”
Tributes left to Miss Bell on Facebook describe the teenager as a ‘beautiful, caring and lovely’ girl.
There are helplines available for young people struggling with suicidal thoughts. Contact: Papyrus, Prevention for Young Suicide: 0800 068 41 41; Samaritans: 116 123; Childline: 0800 1111; Or text YM to YoungMinds Crisis Messenger 85258.