Pictured: Hannah Dutton, 22, took her own life after struggling to cope with the loss of his mother’s death
A brilliant young graduate heartbroken by her mother’s death drowned in the bath after taking a cocktail of vodka, white wine and painkillers just a week after the funeral.
Hannah Dutton, 22, was struggling to cope with the loss of her mother, an inquest into her death found.
Her friend Ryan Fletcher became worried after she did not appear for a planned dinner and when he managed to get into her home he found the former Southampton University student’s lifeless body in the bathtub.
The bath was three-quarters full with water which was cold to the touch.
Detective Constable Laura Haugh, who investigated the death, said: ‘Once inside Mr Fletcher found her in the bath fully clothed and underwater – he believed she had died.
‘Her mother had died and the funeral had taken place recently.’
The police officer said there were sleeping pills and several packets of painkillers empty along with a bottle of vodka and an empty bottle of wine nearby.
‘Six notes addressed to various family members and friends were in the bathroom,’ the officer added.
‘Also in the room were two glasses with a white powdered substance inside.
‘Police received a fear for welfare call about Hannah on July 23 from her aunt. She had driven off upset about her mother and the funeral arrangements.
‘She was asked to attend the police station and described as all in order by the officer who saw her.’
‘We had no idea’: The family of Miss Dutton described her as a clever and talented graduate and said they had no idea she was going to take her life
Paramedics rushed to the scene at Ms Dutton’s home in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, along with police officers but the inquest heard that she was pronounced dead shortly after they arrived on the evening of August 3.
The market researcher’s mother, Michelle’s funeral had taken place the week earlier on July 28.
A post-mortem examination noted that sleeping tablets could exacerbate the effects of alcohol and found Ms Dutton died from drowning contributed to by alcohol intoxication.
Ms Dutton’s aunt, Sue Andrews and sister Jessica, attended the inquest.
Ms Andrews paid tribute to her niece, telling the hearing: ‘She did suffer from anorexia when she was younger but she was a really bright, bubbly girl and we had no reason to suspect she would end her life at all.
We had no idea she was going to do this. There were no indications she had taken her own life at all
‘She was very bright – she had a first class degree from Southampton. We had no idea she was going to do this. There were no indications she had taken her own life at all.’
Addressing Ms Dutton’s family, Assistant Coroner for Buckinghamshire Anne Davies said: ‘I think this is a terribly sad case so shortly after your mother had died, the whole tragedy must be completely overwhelming.
‘Concerns were raised when she didn’t turn up to dinner with friends and then the friends found her at that time in the bath sadly already dead.
‘Thames Valley Police found several notes around the house so there does appear to me to be a suggestion it wasn’t a completely random act.
‘By the fact she had actually left some notes I am persuaded this was a deliberate act. We don’t think the death is caused by a high level of paracetamol – we think that would have probably been a secondary event.
‘It seems the sleeping tablets had an enhanced effect on the alcohol and then she lost some inhibitions and that caused her to do what she did.
‘I express my sympathies for you as a family and I hope the notes we will be giving to you after this inquest show she thought a lot of you and loved you.’
The coroner recorded a conclusion of suicide.