Laura Winham, 38, found mummified in her flat after 3+ years. Family says authorities failed her amid mental health struggles.
He checked on her after a long time and saw something under a blanket that looked like a foot. Police then forced the door open. Laura’s body was mummified, making the death date hard to pinpoint.
A calendar showed dates marked until November 2017. Laura’s family thinks services failed her, believing she was left to die. A coroner agreed that agencies missed chances to help.
These agencies included the council, a housing group, and the DWP. Social care was also involved. Laura had schizophrenia and thought her family wanted to hurt her.
Her family stopped visiting in 2009, at her wish. They still checked on her by driving by her house and using social media until 2014. She wanted minimum contact with them.
In 2017, police asked the council for help. The council sent a letter about food banks but did not visit her home. Her sister contacted housing in 2021, worried about Laura.
Someone went to Laura’s apartment, but no one answered. The housing group said she was vulnerable and should have been flagged, which would have alerted them.
Laura’s gas was shut off in 2019 because workers could not reach her for a check, after previous attempts to contact her. She also faced eviction in 2014 because she owed rent money.
A council worker helped her make a new housing claim and she saw her doctor. Someone paid her rent, so she wasn’t evicted.
Her diary showed she struggled and needed food badly. One entry said her phone died; she wrote that she hadn’t stocked food and didn’t know what to expect.
She mentioned eating only potatoes and cheese and that she had very little money. She wrote that she felt starving and was dreaming of food constantly.
Her family said she needed help, as she had little food or money and lacked friends or family. The council only sent a letter and didn’t assess her.
She was thought to be at risk but wasn’t visited, and was left to fend for herself. Even her diary entries showed she could not cope. A visit could have saved her life.
The coroner called the investigation superficial and said proper flagging would have helped agencies know she needed aid. However, it was difficult to connect the issues regarding Laura’s death.