Amee Louise Bettison, a 31-year-old mum of eight, tragically died from a cocaine overdose just days after being released from prison, an inquest heard. Having stayed clean while serving her sentence, her tolerance to the drug had diminished—something that ultimately led to her death.
Amee was found unconscious at her home in Bodmin on April 13 last year by her friend Travis Weir. Despite desperate attempts by Travis, his brother, and a neighbor to revive her, she was pronounced dead at the scene, reported Cornwall Live.
During the inquest, held in Truro on March 19, it was revealed that Amee had believed she might have been pregnant at the time of her death. However, a post-mortem examination found no signs of pregnancy or any underlying abdominal diseases. Instead, toxicology reports confirmed she had consumed a dangerously high dose of cocaine, which likely triggered acute heart failure.
Amee had a difficult past, suffering from complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), emotionally unstable personality disorder traits, and anaemia, according to her GP records. She also had a long history of alcohol and drug use, with cocaine being part of her life before her prison sentence.
She had been jailed for three years for perverting the course of justice but served just one year at HMP Eastwood Park Women’s Prison in South Gloucestershire before being released. Having stayed off drugs inside, she had lost the tolerance her body once had—a dangerous reality for many former users upon release.
Her friend Travis Weir described Amee as an “amazing, funny, and bubbly person,” a sentiment echoed by her mum, Sharon Trewin, who paid an emotional tribute to her daughter. Sharon described Amee as “loved by everybody” and “absolutely devoted to her children.” She recalled how her daughter, once a rebellious teen, had grown into a devoted mother who had given birth “every year for the past eight years” and that her children were her world.
Detective Constable Emily Rickard, who was based in Bodmin at the time, confirmed there was no evidence of third-party involvement in Amee’s death and no indication that she had intended to take her own life.
Senior coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Andrew Cox, concluded that Amee’s death was drug-related. He highlighted the dangerous reality for ex-prisoners who relapse after staying clean inside, explaining: “When people who used to take drugs before going to prison come out, they tend to take what they used to take before, but having lost their tolerance, it then kills them.”
He added that Amee had likely taken a significant amount of cocaine, which her body was no longer equipped to handle.
The coroner noted that she may have taken the drug as a form of relief after her time in prison or as an escape from unresolved personal struggles. Either way, the tragic outcome serves as yet another reminder of the deadly risks of drug relapse after a period of abstinence.
