Elderly woman found pushing daughter’s body through shopping centre 14 months after she died
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/elderly-woman-found-pushing-daughters-body-walthamstow-shopping-centre/
Posted by DarkSkiesGreyWaters
Elderly woman found pushing daughter’s body through shopping centre 14 months after she died
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/elderly-woman-found-pushing-daughters-body-walthamstow-shopping-centre/
Posted by DarkSkiesGreyWaters
11 Comments
She believed her daughter had died one year earlier 😬
An elderly woman, Joan Kathleen Turnell, was stopped by police in Walthamstow town centre while pushing her daughter’s decomposing body in a wheelchair. The incident occurred after Joan had kept her daughter Tracey’s corpse in their shared flat for over a year.
Neighbors had reported a strong odor and fly infestation coming from the flat, but when authorities visited, Joan refused to let them in. In an attempt to convince them that Tracey was alive, Joan wrapped the body in a red coat and took it out in public.
Housing officers followed her to the high street and alerted the police due to the smell. When police stopped Joan in a secluded car park, they found a heavily decomposed body under the coat.
At the inquest, it was revealed that Joan suffered from severe mental illness, including prolonged grief disorder and a brain tumor. She stated that she couldn’t bear to part with her daughter and kept her body because she loved her too much.
The exact cause of Tracey’s death could not be determined due to the advanced state of decomposition. Tracey had lived with significant health conditions and was entirely dependent on her mother.
The family lived in isolation, without access to healthcare, government documents, or the internet. Tracey’s identity was confirmed through DNA analysis, as there were no photographs of her.
Despite the circumstances, Joan was not prosecuted for preventing the lawful burial of her daughter’s body.
This story is both sad and scary. The mother was clearly heartbroken about her daughter’s death and couldn’t let her go, but keeping a body for over a year and allowing it to decompose is a stuff of nightmares
That just hideously sad on all counts.
Glad they could bury the daughter and hope the Mum is getting the help she needs.
“Despite the circumstances, Joan was not prosecuted for preventing the lawful burial of her daughter’s body.”
I should hope that was the case. This is such a tragic story all around, and to punish someone for their severe mental illness and grief in this particular instance would be too harsh in my opinion. I hope that Ms Turnell is able to find some comfort and solace in laying her girl to rest now.
Sounds like something out of a horror movie. Decades of deprivation, I expect to see more.
This broke my heart. That poor mother and daughter.
Tragic.
But seriously though, how long do neighbours have to complain about the smell AND flies before they’re taken seriously??
It’s scary how someone can die and noone notices, no workplace, no friends, no neighbours to follow up on her wellbeing. Only the smell. How sad for everyone.
Tragic.
The uber rich need to be taxed more. The king can start by not charging the NHS to use his estate.
What an awful, depressing story 🙁 The sheer isolation and despair is almost unbearable to think about.