Recluse dead in flat for months

A RECLUSE who had moved to England from Scotland lay dead in her home for months, an inquest has heard.

The body of Edinburgh-born Elizabeth Jeffcoat, 47, was found in her bedroom on June 16 by council workers who broke into her flat in Norwich, Norfolk.

Police found tablets and food dated December 2019, indicating she had been ‘dead for a number of months’.

PC Liam Abigail said officers had been unable to find her next of kin after checking her GP surgery, phone, mobile, laptop, unopened post and personal documents.

He added that a neighbour described Miss Jeffcoat, who moved to Norwich in 2015, as ‘quite reclusive’.

Norfolk Coroner’s Court in the city heard a post-mortem examination had been unable to identify a cause of death due to the condition of her body.

Dr John Keep, who had treated Miss Jeffcoat f or her chronic back pain, described her as a ‘bright, alert and happy individual’.

Norfolk’s senior coroner, Jacqueline Lake, said she could only reach an open conclusion after a ‘very sad inquest’.