Detectives feared a mum who was found dead at a friend’s house had been murdered.
Teresa Pilsworth actually died from an ‘extremely rare’ condition in January this year, an inquest into her death found. Police initially feared the 38-year-old had been murdered after she was found collapsed on the floor at her friend’s home, Lancs Live reports.
Paramedics found her with injuries on her face. After a Home Office post mortem, it was found that Teresa’s cause of death was a thrombo pulmonary embolism – with a coroner describing her death from the condition as ‘very unexpected’.
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An inquest at Preston Coroners’ Court heard how the mum had spent the evening of Friday, January 26 at a friend’s house in Maple Avenue, Morecambe. The following morning Teresa was hungover and failed to return to her home in King Street.
Teresa’s husband Wayne contacted his wife’s friend who explained that she was ‘ok’ and resting on the settee. He told Wayne that he would get Teresa to go home ‘as soon as possible’.
However, the following morning, Teresa’s friend called 999 after returning home from taking the dog for a walk to find her collapsed on the floor. Paramedics carried out CPR but Teresa was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives were called to the house after paramedics noted injuries on Teresa’s face. Due to police concerns that Teresa had been assaulted, a Home Office post mortem was carried out, which revealed that the facial injuries had not in fact contributed to her death.
The examination, carried out by Dr Matthew Cieka, revealed that the cause of Teresa’s death was a thrombo pulmonary embolism. This occurred when a deep vein thrombosis – a blood clot – travelled up from Teresa’s leg into her lungs and caused her heart to stop.
The inquest heard that Teresa, had also consumed drugs including cocaine and morphine just before she died. The inquest heard that Teresa, who shared three teenage children with husband Wayne, had recently put on weight and was also taking the oral contraceptive pill – both of which are classed as risk factors for deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
She had also been lying for some time on the sofa on the Saturday. However, Dr Ceika explained, there can often be no cause and DVT is ‘extremely rare’ in someone as young as Teresa.
Assistant Coroner Richard Taylor said: “In my experience as a coroner this is a very unusual cause of death. It was very unexpected to read this.”
Teresa’s husband Wayne voiced concerns that his wife’s friend ‘had just left her dead on the sofa’ for 24 hours before calling 999. However, the inquest heard that, as paramedics had attempted advanced life support techniques, it was likely she had died not long before they arrived.
Detective Inspector Dylan Hrynkow said that while the police investigation ruled out any third-party involvement in Teresa’s death officers were continuing to look into the illegal drugs found at the property where she died. Returning a narrative conclusion the coroner said: “Teresa Marie Pilsworth died on January 28, 2024, having suffered a thrombo pulmonary embolism following drug ingestion and immobility.”
After Teresa’s death Wayne described the love he shared with his wife as ‘unconditional’ and added: “We got so close my beautiful lioness, to fixing something you considered unfixable. They told me natural causes, but there’s nothing natural about losing you.”
On a GoFundMe page set up after Teresa’s death, Alex Tordoff wrote: “At just 38 years old, Wayne’s beloved wife Teresa, the anchor of their family and loving mother to their children, has tragically passed away suddenly. This unexpected loss has left Wayne and their children grappling with grief and facing an uncertain future.
“In the face of this profound tragedy, we are reaching out to our community for support. As Wayne navigates the overwhelming emotional and financial burdens of losing his partner and primary caregiver, we want to rally around him and his family to help ease their burden.”
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
