An 'amazing' dad who was struggling to come to terms with the deaths of his father and his best friend was found dead in his car close to where they are buried. The body of John Patrick Duffy in a Volkswagen Golf parked across the entrance to Middleton Cemetery, Greater Manchester, was discovered by a mourner at around 8.30am on Saturday, March 4.
Paramedics were alerted and raced to the scene but the 37-year-old could not be saved, as reported by Manchester Evening News. He was found to have died of a drug overdose with a coroner now ruling he took his own life. Mr Duffy's wife Jodie described him as 'loyal, honest and the best dad and husband that she and her children could have wished for', an inquest heard.
"He will be sadly missed," she continued. "He was a loving son, brother, and uncle, but most of all he was the most amazing dad to his daughters who he adored, who loved him and will miss him."
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She said Mr Duffy's father died when he was 11 years old and that this had a "big impact on his life". However, she said he was healthy until five years ago when "his best friend passed away by taking his own life."
Mrs Duffy told a police coroner's officer it was in the summer of last year that she and his family 'noticed a change' in her husband's behaviour. She said at Christmas she went to see his GP with him where they raised concerns about his mental health.
The hearing was told he was prescribed three different types of tablets for his low mood but he 'declined to take them because of the side effects.' Around the start of 2023 he would 'disappear for periods of time' and leading up to his death cleared out his locker at the workplace where he had been employed for 17 years.
On Friday March 3 he came home from work and said he wanted a 'nice evening' the hearing was told. However when Mrs Duffy woke on Saturday morning around 8:30am and found he was not in bed, fearing 'something was amiss.'
She rang a friend and members of his family who went looking for him. Their searches led them to the cemetery where Mrs Duffy saw her husband's car with police already on the scene.
Mr Duffy was sadly declared dead at the scene. A number of empty medication packs were found inside the vehicle the inquest was told. A post-mortem found he died as a result of 'fatal toxicity' of a prescription drug.
Mr Duffy's brother told Detective Inspector Ruth Atherton from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) that he believed 'he would have chosen the location as his father was buried there and it was also parked very close to where his best friend was buried.' "John had never come to terms with his death" he added.
The inquest heard he had attempted to take his own life on several previous occasions. DI Atherton concluded there was no evidence of foul play or any suspicious circumstances.
The inquest at Rochdale Coroner's Court was dealt with on a documentary basis with no live witnesses being called and none of Mr Duffy's family were present at the hearing.
Assistant Coroner Catherine McKenna said she was 'satisfied he intended the consequences of his actions' as she recorded a conclusion of suicide. Adding: "I have no doubt he's very sorely missed."
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