Laura Winham’s ‘mummified’ remains were found by her brother in her flat in Woking, Surrey, in 2021 – after relatives asked police to break in following concerns about her safety
A woman who lay dead in her flat for more than three years sent a chilling final message to her family on Facebook before her body was discovered in a “mummified and almost skeletal” state.
Laura Winham’s remains were found by her brother in her flat in Woking, Surrey, on May 24 2021, after relatives asked police to break in following concerns about her safety. An inquest held at Surrey Coroner’s Court ruled her cause of death was “unascertained” and found it was impossible to determine a time of death – but a calendar in Ms Winham’s flat showed dates crossed off until November 1 2017.
In a previous hearing, the court was told Ms Winham’s family hadn’t seen her in person since 2009, with contact over social media also ending in 2014. In a haunting final message sent on Facebook, Ms Winham told her family: “It is best to have minimum/no contact. And communications with the family. It is totally out of my hands. There is nothing I can do. Everything I say will get repeated and relayed back. Be patient.”
The family said they believed they were doing the right thing by respecting her wishes to have no contact with them, and criticised social services for failing to support a “vulnerable person” and leaving her to “fend for herself”.
On Tuesday, coroner Karen Henderson ruled there were “lost opportunities” for multiple agencies in the run-up to her death, including Woking Borough Council and its former contractor, New Vision Homes, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and Surrey County Council’s adult social care team.
After a police referral in October 2017, the county council’s adult social care team called and wrote to Ms Winham offering advice about food banks, but did not visit the property. Closing the inquest, Dr Henderson described the team’s investigation as “perfunctory in almost every way” but added that it was not possible to conclude these “lost opportunities materially contributed” to Ms Winham’s death.
In a statement read out by the family’s solicitor, Iftikhar Manzoor, alongside Ms Winham’s brother Roy and mother Marilyn, thedy said: “When Laura was referred to adult social care in October 2017, as the police raised concerns as to her having little food or money and being without a network of friends or family, all that happened was a letter that was sent and that was a huge opportunity missed to assess Laura’s health and to take action.
“Laura was clearly a person potentially at risk but she wasn’t deemed worthy of visiting. She was left to fend herself. Even her own diary entries illustrate she was unable to cope. Had adult social care visited Laura’s home within a few days of the referral in October 2017 then Laura would be alive.”
Speaking about the family’s lack of contact with Ms Winham, her sister Nicky told the court: “We knew that contact with us exacerbated her mental health difficulties.” Despite this, the family often passed by to check Ms Winham’s car was still outside her flat.
The statement on behalf of the family continued: “The circumstances of Laura’s death have been absolutely devastating for her loved ones. They are a caring and loving family who I have come to know well over the past few years.
“Laura was a much-loved, much-missed daughter and sister. Her family did everything in their power to support her as she battled her mental health struggles until it became apparent that she may harm herself unless they backed away. They believed Laura would be in the best possible hands when handing her into the care of professionals – people with much more knowledge and understanding of supporting those with serious mental health issues.
“Sadly in this instance that was not the case.” It added: “The safeguarding review made it clear that Laura was never failed by her family. They sought professional help but input was lost from people who truly loved her. Laura and her family need a system that cared enough about vulnerable person. Laura’s death must act as a catalyst for change.”
Dr Henderson also ruled that, had Woking Borough Council and New Vision Homes – WBC’S landlord contractor from 2015 to April 2022 – flagged Ms Winham as vulnerable then it would have been evident she required further assistance. The DWP should have been “more proactive” after Ms Winham’s Disability Living Allowance benefit was stopped due to her choosing not to apply for a Personal Independence Payment, the coroner added.
The court heard she chose not apply because “she could not cope with the invasive medical check-up”. But Dr Henderson reiterated that it was impossible to conclude these “lost opportunities materially contributed” to Ms Winham’s death.
Surrey County Council has been contacted for comment.