Uckfield mother dies after '˜considerable overdose' following trauma over son's death

Sophie Marshall passed away after struggling with anxiety, depression, and chronic pain for years.

The 48-year-old had also suffered trauma following the sudden death of her five-year-old son in 2013, the inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall heard on Thursday (March 1).

The body of Ms Marshall, who had been living alone at her home in Keld Drive, was discovered by builders who had been carrying out renovation work on January 23, 2017.

A coroner found she had not taken her own life deliberately but had simply taken a number of substances – including opiates and sleeping pills – to ‘find solace’.

A pathologist report said Ms Marshall had taken these substances in levels greatly exceeding the therapeutic range, with some at 10 times the amount which is considered dangerous to take.

Coroner Alan Craze called it a ‘considerable overdose’, and referred to the ‘absolute tragedy’ of Ms Marshall’s son’s accidental death just a few years before.