'Hospital froze my daughter without permission, I waited 5 days for her to thaw'

The devastated mum of a four-year-old girl who tragically died from an unknown illness has expressed her frustration as delays to an inquest mean she will have to endure a four-and-a-half year wait for answers.

Lauren Marsh, 33, has suffered through a painful wait following investigations and tests into the death of her little girl Bonnie. Bonnie, described as 'cheeky', fell ill and passed away in December 2021 after two separate hospitalvisits due to vomiting and fainting. The young girl, who had just started school, collapsed on her third visit and could not be revived at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital (N&N).

The formal inquest into Bonnie's death was initially scheduled for July 2025 — but it was postponed until October due to witness unavailability. However, grieving parents Lauren and Liam, also 33, now face an additional six-month wait for answers into their little girl's mysterious death following another delay.

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A distraught Lauren said: "I'm so mentally broken. We're stuck in a horrible limbo. This is a never ending nightmare. She's my daughter but it feels like she's been the NHS's property since she died. I just feel like someone needs to be held accountable now and things need to change.

"We were finally at the point of getting answers and it's been taken away from us."

The inquest into Bonnie's death was due to be held in July 2025 however it was postponed due to witness unavailability. A new date was set for October this year — but Lauren was 'disgusted' to learn this week that they now face a further six month delay to April 2026.

Lauren claims the reason given was 'holiday' booked by staff who had worked at the hospital when Bonnie died and are witnesses at the inquest. Bonnie's bereaved parents were told she could have a genetic condition which may have contributed to her death — and her body was frozen without their knowledge.

On December 14, Bonnie had gone to school as normal but when Lauren picked her up, she said Bonnie's eyes were slightly swollen and she looked full of a cold. Lauren decided to keep Bonnie off school the following day and on December 16, the youngster passed out in the bathroom after being sick.

Her worried parents called an ambulance and were told her observations were fine by paramedics and she didn't need to go to the hospital. Lauren, from Attleborough, Norfolk, insisted she be taken as Bonnie, who was previously fit and healthy, was still vomiting and being lethargic.

The following day, Bonnie was taken again to the N&N Hospital by dad Liam as she continued to throw up. She was sent home and on December 18, Lauren rang the Children's Assessment Unit as Bonnie had not improved.

Lauren was told to keep Bonnie at home but she knew something was wrong as she was not moving or speaking. She said: "I took her in anyway — she was freezing cold, floppy and dying in my arms.

"I was wandering around the hospital trying to find someone to help her and it was a cleaner who saw me and lead me to the Assessment Unit. They had no idea we were coming because they'd said not to, but they took her to a bed and said she was very poorly.

"They brought in a cardiac arrest trolley and when I asked what it was for, they said it was 'just in case'. All of Bonnie's veins had collapsed and they were asking me to put a millilitre of water in her mouth every ten minutes. The doctors came in and gave me the syringe to put the water in my dying daughter's mouth."

Bonnie suddenly deteriorated further and went into cardiac arrest as Lauren was ushered to a separate room. She said: "I just sat there praying. The doctor came back in about half an hour later to say they'd restarted her heart but she was going to be transferred to Addenbrookes [Hospital in Cambridge] by helicopter.

"As she was speaking, I could see other doctors running back into Bonnie's room. They said it was time to say goodbye but when I went into the room, Bonnie had already died."

Lauren said the family received no support immediately following Bonnie's death such as a request to help clean her daughter's body up and a chaplain visit. The police were also not notified of the sudden death and called Lauren early the next morning.

Bonnie's family were originally told her cause of death was dehydration from norovirus but a post-mortem revealed she had Covid and the flu. Over their first Christmas without their daughter, they received a call from N&N to say Bonnie had a genetic condition which could have contributed to her death.

The interim death certificate for Bonnie gives her cause of death as an "inborn error of metabolism" — also known as inherited metabolic disorders or hereditary metabolic disorders. However Lauren said tests carried out by Addenbrookes, Great Ormond Street, as well as a clinic in Germany — all returned negative.

The family were also subjected to the harrowing news before Bonnie's funeral that her body had been frozen to preserve samples.

Lauren said: "I'd gone to the funeral director and they were told when they collected her she was frozen. If they had to freeze her to preserve samples for testing, I understand.

"But no one told me they were going to freeze her. I was heartbroken - I hadn't signed anything to give my consent. I had to wait four or five days to see her in the funeral home for her to thaw and she didn't look like my Bonnie anymore."

As well as her parents, Bonnie also left behind her loving brother, Teddy, now 12, and their beloved dog, Coco.

Dozens of well-wishers lined the streets at Bonnie's funeral procession with many wearing pink. To add to the family's grief, three days before the long-awaited inquest was due to begin, they were informed a witness was unavailable.

The inquest was delayed to October 2025 — and now has been postponed another six months. The new date given for formal inquest into Bonnie's death is April 13 to April 15, 2026.

Lauren said she found out the news through a family member — and has not been directly contacted. The Norfolk Coroner's Office said they could not comment on individual cases.