Woman's body lay for weeks before services were alerted

A TEESDALE woman whose body lay undiscovered for weeks did not die in suspicious circumstances, an inquest has heard.

Staindrop’s Lilian Thompson was found dead by police on July 12 at a house on Hartley Close after a concerned neighbour raised the alarm.

Crook Coroners’ Court heard on Monday how a post mortem concluded the cause of the 49-year-old’s death was “unascertainable” with her body being in a state of “advanced decomposition”.

The inquest also heard how the 49-year-old had been assaulted on May 4 but police had ruled it out as a causative factor in her death.

Opening the inquest, assistant coroner Crispin Oliver said the circumstances of the death had meant identification had proven “challenging”.

He added: “The deceased was to some extent significantly decomposed.

“There had been certain concerns about whether or not this might have been a suspicious death but it is quite evident that the police are satisfied it’s not suspicious.”

Normal DNA, dental or visual identification methods had not been possible to identify Ms Thompson.

The court heard how she had moved two doors down to a new property on Hartley Close in January leading to some uncertainty over who was living at the address.

However, coroners assistant for Durham Constabulary, Julia Nicholson, said police were sure the body was Ms Thompson on “the balance of probabilities” from letters and prescription medicine at the property.

A neighbour concerned for Ms Thompson’s wellbeing called a district nurse after noticing she hadn’t seen Ms Thompson for several weeks.

The court heard how they tried to enter the house and called out her name before the police arrived.

Investigations into Ms Thomspon’s death are ongoing.

The inquest was adjourned and a further review will be held on October 2.