Woman cries ‘this can’t be real’ after finding her sister, 26, and brother, 33, dead just metres from each other
A HEARTBROKEN woman cried "this can't be real" after finding her sister, 26, and brother, 33, dead just metres from each other.
Jade Couperthwaite, from Bolton, made the horrific discovery when she woke to find her deceased sibling Carla next to her on the sofa.
Brother Stephen had been asleep in a bedroom next door, but did not respond when Jade called out for help.
Emergency services arrived to the tragic scene on September 6, 2023 as Jade performed CPR on her sister, but both Carla and Stephen were pronounced dead.
Jade spoke at an inquest into the deaths at Bolton Coroner's Court on Monday, January 8.
As reported by the , she said: "I thought this can’t be real that they’re not breathing. What’s going on?”
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The inquest heard Carla had moved in with Jade and the happy pair planned on a "new start".
There were no indications the 26-year-old's mental health was suffering and her sister described her as "very positive".
Carla had previously completed 12 psychotherapy sessions for depression and anxiety and was going through a drug and alcohol recovery plan before her death.
Stephen had come over from his uncle's house that evening and Jade told the inquest he had been taking non-prescription morphine for tooth pain.
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Jade and Carla enjoyed a bottle of wine together and did their nails, while their brother remained in the bedroom - and all which was described as a "normal night".
The coroner heard how Jade fell asleep at around 7.30pm and called an ambulance when she woke up and thought something was wrong with Carla.
She added she hadn't worried about Stephen when he didn't respond to her shouts and assumed he was sleeping.
Stephen's girlfriend Zara Greaves, who he shared a child with, also delivered an emotional statement at the inquest.
She explained her partner struggled with opening up about his feelings, and leant on drugs as a "coping mechanism" to deal with past traumas.
Zara spoke of Stephen's periods of depression and how he would disappear for days at a time.
“There were times I would sit there and think is he coming home this time," she said.
“I kept saying you need to get help and I think that’s when he went on to binge.”
Steven Downey who works for Achieve, a drug and alcohol recovery service, told the inquest Stephen had been involved in treatment on and off for the past five years.
The Achieve recovery coordinator told the inquest Stephen had an assessment in July 2023.
This revealed the 33-year-old would go on binges of up to five or six days on alcohol and cocaine which cost him around £2,000.
It was also recorded he took a daily mixture of drugs, including codeine, diazepam, and pregabalin.
Mr Downey added risk of overdose and suicidal thoughts were not noted in Stephen's last assessment.
Dr Ravindra Sawant, a pathologist at Royal Bolton, told the inquest he determined the cause of death combined drug toxicity after a post mortem.
The pathologist also found Carla's cause of death to be combined drug toxicity.
Assistant coroner, Stephen Teasdale, concluded both deaths were drug related and said neither had intended to take their life.
He told the inquest: “It was a miscalculation rather than a deliberate act. They miscalculated the effects of the combination of drugs.”
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Stephen's sister-in-law, Rukshana Javed, said after the conclusion: “Stephen was a man with a heart of gold, and he would do anything for anyone, and sadly he was caught up in a whirlwind of drugs.
"He was one in a million.”
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,
- Mind, , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus,, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, , 116 123
- Movember,
- Anxiety UK , 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm