A teenager who took her own life told her dad "I love you" the last time they spoke.
Macie Jayne Vella was found dead at her dad's home on Berry Street, Skelmersdale, just after 11pm on July 26 this year. Her frantic partner came to the property and saw the 18-year-old inside.
Emergency services were called, entry was forced and CPR given before the teen was pronounced dead a short while later. An inquest took place at Preston Coroner’s Court on Wednesday (December 7), where Macie was described as a "wonderful" teenager who was "full of life" Lancs Live reports.
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Macie and her girlfriend, who she had been in a relationship with since April this year, had been living at her dad’s home while he was away on holiday. The couple had spent the day of her death together before an argument developed.
They returned to Macie’s dad’s house and her girlfriend then left in a taxi. When Macie's phone went unanswered in the hours that followed the fight her partner returned to find the doors locked, the blinds open, and Macie could be seen through a window inside.
Her girlfriend said, in a statement read out to the court: “I had no indication that Macie wanted to end her own life. We had plans for the future... I’m devastated.”
Macie, a former pupil of Up Holland High School and Scarisbrick Hall School near Ormskirk, had tragically lost her biological mother, Sarah, to suicide at the age of six. Macie had suffered from mental health issues in recent years and had been referred to Children and Adult Mental Health Services around six years ago.
Macie had previously attempted self-harm at the ages of 13 and 16, on one occasion taking an overdose at school before telling a teacher and being taken to hospital. She was diagnosed with emotional dysregulation disorder, and the last episode of self-harm had been in March 2021, the hearing was told.
A police investigation into the messages had found no direct link between the messages and what had happened.
A statement from Macie’s dad David Vella said he believed his daughter had lost weight and been targeted by bullying. A relative told the court: "Macie reported lots of instances to me about harassment in many different ways by a certain group of people, to the point where she was even frightened to stay at her dad’s home.”
Macie’s life was, as Kate Bisset, Assistant Coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen put it, "full of promise" and she was close to her family who loved her. The youngster had booked her driving test, passed all her college exams, planned to go to the Creamfields Festival. She had also secured offers for places from five universities.
Yet she"‘struggled" had not had an easy start in life, and had had difficult relationships with partners and friends. Her previous self-harm attempts were a "cry for help" the coroner added, returning a short form conclusion of suicide and cause as hanging.
Her father, David Vella, paid tribute to his daughter in a statement that said: “Macie was kind, caring, and full of life. She was an emotional soul who could be dramatic but she loved very much and felt emotions intensely.”
He said the last time he saw Macie she was ‘in good spirits’ adding: “She hugged me and said 'I love you dad'."
One of several relatives fighting back tears at the conclusion of the inquest said: “I will remember her as full of life, fun-loving, fantastic to be around. She wanted to please people and wanted people to be proud of who she was and what she was going to do… we miss her terribly.”
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