Tragedy as woman's body is found 'mummified' in her flat

A woman's was discovered "mummified" in a flat seven months after she was last seen or heard.

Amanda Warburton, 52, was found by police dead in her apartment in Runcorn, Cheshire. Her this month heard the woman's death was "non suspicious".

Cheshire Coroner's Court was told Ms Warburton's body was in a state of severe decomposition by the time it was found on September 17. A family member first alerted the force to concerns about Ms Warburton, after noticing her window closed for two weeks.

The New Zealand-born woman was then found dead in her home by officers at 5.47pm, the reported. An inquest at Cheshire Coroner's Court on October 16 heard that Ms Warburton was a "loner".

Senior Coroner Jacqueline Devonish said that Ms Warburton’s cause of death was ‘unascertained due to severe decomposition and mummification’. As such, she ruled an open conclusion, as there is "no idea" of the circumstances leading to her death.

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Her cause of death was unable to be determined, the coroner said. Ms Warburton's sister, who lives in Queensland, started a GoFundMe page to raise funds so she could return to the UK.

Announcing her bereavement on social media, she wrote: "It is with a very heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beautiful sister Amanda (Mandy). We are broken. We love you enormously and we will miss you so much."

Officers say the property on Norton Hill was "sparsely furnished", with hardly any food and a pile of mail built up behind the door. Two newspapers dated February 18 were found on the coffee table, along with milk in the fridge with an expiry of February 19. There was also a sticker on the front door, requesting she contact the housing association.

Meanwhile, neighbours said they had not seen Ms Warburton for around 12 months and had noticed a ‘strange smell’ coming from the property recently. Police described Ms Warburton’s body as being ‘extremely decomposed, to the point of being mummified’.

As such, it is suspected that she had passed away around seven months before being discovered. However, police say there were no suspicious circumstances.

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