A mum who turned to alcohol to "cope with domestic abuse" was tragically discovered dead in her living room.
Amanda Kelly's body was found by two support workers at her home on October 18, 2021.
Concerns were raised for 36-year-old Ms Kelly, who lived in Tunstall, when her support workers did not hear back from her despite calling and sending a number of messages, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.
Her last known contact was five days earlier.
An inquest held into her death heard how Ms Kelly used alcohol, smoked and took substances during her lifetime as a coping strategy to deal with domestic abuse.
Katherine Houghton, a domestic abuse practitioner, had been in touch with Ms Kelly as and when she needed help. She told the inquest: “At 11.45am we could not gain access. I knocked and shouted but there was no reply.
“We have a key for emergencies so we let ourselves in. I went to the living room and she was lying on the sofa. She was not replying. I called 999, she was cold to the touch.
“She had a bottle of vodka sitting on her shoulder and a money box was upside down. We realised she was no longer with us so we went outside and waited for the ambulance.
“We attended because we last had contact with her on October 13. We messaged her to tell her she would be receiving contact from our services. She had been asking for help to decrease her alcohol intake. While in her relationship she would use alcohol as a way of coping.
“I told her I was there if she needed any help. She replied saying ‘thank you’. She did reply to the messages but we have had no contact since.
“We tried to call her but were unable to gain contact with her, it went to voicemail. We had concerns about a relationship she was in with a male.”
A post mortem examination found that her liver was enlarged but there was no alcohol or drugs in her system. Her cause of death has been given as 1.a Alcohol fatty liver, steatohepatitis and ketoacidosis.
Lisa Nagington, a nurse at the North Staffs General Healthcare Trust, said: “Mandy had contact with our services. On September 14 she told us she had been five days alcohol free. It was positive. She felt like she had control back.
“On October 13 a call was received. She said she had relapsed and was back drinking. Attempts were made to engage with her. Phone calls and texts were made. There was no contact with her after that.”
Assistant Coroner Duncan Ritchie added: “It’s clear she had problems with alcohol and it’s clear she had unhappiness and a difficult life. She had been in contact with services to help her.
“She was admitted to hospital three times last year to detoxify from alcohol. Last time services heard from her was October 13 when she replied to a message.
“Two support officers went to her home. They found her on the sofa and emergency services were called. This was not a suspicious death.
“A post mortem revealed changes to her liver. There was no alcohol or illicit drugs but a level of BHP was found.
“Alcohol was the cause of ketoacidosis and chronic liver changes. There’s nothing to suggest foul play and this wasn’t active alcohol poisoning. I conclude her death was due to natural causes.”
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