Heartbreaking new details in death of Laura Winham whose ‘mummified’ body lay undiscovered for four years
THE family of a vulnerable woman who lay dead in her flat for over three-and-a-half years say she was "abandoned and left to die" by social and mental health services.
Laura Winham, 38, is believed to have died in her council flat in Woking, Surrey, in November 2017.
She was found in a "mummified and skeletal state" by her brother in her flat in Woking, Surrey, in May 2021.
Laura lived with schizophrenia but wasn't checked on for three years and seven months by her mental health team or social services, reports.
Housing benefits paid her rent and a gas safety check continued to be carried out each year.
The troubled woman had fallen out with her family due to her struggles.
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Police have said they are satisfied there was no third-party involvement in her death.
Ms Winham's sister, Nicky, said social care and mental health teams had "turned a blind eye" and everybody with a duty of care had "wiped their hands of her and forgot her".
Nicky said the family were unable to maintain contact with her after years of schizophrenia caused her to believe they would harm her.
Ahead of a pre-inquest review at Surrey Coroner's Court on Monday, Iftikhar Manzoor, acting for the family, said there were "so many red flags missed".
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Speaking ahead of Monday's hearing, Nicky said: "Laura has been so badly let down.
"It's just heartbreaking to think of how she lived in her last few years, unable to ask for help, without anyone there for her, it's just tragic.
"We felt reassured that she had been given her own home, she was entitled to benefits, she had her own car and some part-time work, a few friends and we believed she would be supported by her mental health team and others moving forward.
"But that hasn't happened and quite clearly there has been a huge break-down in Surrey County Council's system and services when caring for a vulnerable person with both physical and mental health disabilities."
She continued: "There were so many warning signs, from the social care and mental health teams to her landlords, yet everyone seems to have turned a blind eye.
"For three years and seven months nobody from the council checked the internal state and condition of her flat and at no point during this time were annual gas checks carried out.
"Everybody who was in contact with Laura and had a duty to her at some stage simply wiped their hands of her and forgot her. She was abandoned and left to die.
"The fact that she was dead for so long suggests failures all round to meet her basic human needs."
Eventually, police discovered Laura's remains in May 2021 after her mum and brother asked officers to break into her flat in Woking, Surrey.
Inside, they found a calendar where Laura had written "I need help" on her calendar in recent days before her death.
Her devastated family are now trying to pick up the pieces as they try and make sense of Laura's final days.
Laura was born with Goldenhar Syndrome, causing curvature of the spine.
At age 18, she had a major heart operation and was sectioned twice after her teenage years.
She was recommended for mental health treatment in 2014 after staff at her housing association noticed she was "unwell, quite thin, and had said she had no friends and believed people were watching her".
Her sister Nicky said: "We always hoped she would get better with professional help and that one day our contact would resume.
"We never believed, for one second, we would end up finding her dead on her floor having laid there for so long without anyone knowing."
She said contact with her family used to cause her sister "enormous strain" so they had eventually agreed to let professionals handle her care.
The horrified sibling believes Laura fell through a gap in the system and had a difficult time as her mind would play tricks on her.
Laura's Disability Living Allowance was stopped because she hadn't responded to Department of Work and Pensions letters in 2016.
Surrey Police officers reported to social services in October 2017 that Laura had little food and wasn't looking after herself.
But despite social workers being informed her phone was not working they continued to contact her by phone.
When they didn't hear back from her, they sent details of local food banks and support teams to her flat in the post.
After two weeks, Laura's case was closed, even though they hadn't heard back from her.
Nicky said: "Laura has been so badly let down. It's just heart-breaking to think of how she lived in her last few years, unable to ask for help, without anyone there for her, it's just tragic.
'Her journey with mental health has been incredibly tough.
"She grew up in a loving, supportive family. She had worked so hard to overcome her deafness and went to mainstream school, she attended college and gained a degree at university.
"But then our very much-loved younger sister completely changed in front of our own eyes. And it's something I would not wish on any family."
Her loved ones are now preparing for an inquest into her death.
Surrey County Council said: "This is a truly tragic case and our sympathies and deepest condolences are with Laura's family and friends.
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"It's important that every aspect of this complex case is reviewed and we're committed to participating fully in the inquest process.
"This will include providing any information that is needed to support the Coroner's enquiries."