A Scots tourist was found dead by her friends in an Airbnb in Plymouth, an inquest has heard.
Kirsty Kindness, 40, who lived in Shawhill Road in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, was pronounced dead on May 26, 2021. The holidaymaker had been staying at an apartment in Regent Street prior to her death.
She had travelled down with three friends for ten nights with the aim of visiting the Devon seaside town of Torquay. Tragically, she was found unresponsive on the day she was due to visit.
An inquest into her death was heard today, Tuesday March 7, at Plymouth Coroner's Court and reported by Plymouth Live. Assistant coroner Steve Cavell began the hearing by reading evidence from Kirsty's friends.
Laura Todd explained to police at the time that Kirsty had been a heroin addict 'for as long as she could remember'. The night before Kirsty was found dead, Laura said they had been watching TV together in the apartment whilst their other two friends slept.
Before going to her own bed, Laura said Kirsty had taken mirtazapine, a substance used to help calm cravings and reduce drug-seeking behaviours. The next morning a friend by the name of Lianne Thompson discovered Kirsty on the sofa of the apartment where Laura had last seen her.
Giving evidence at the time of Kirsty's death, Lianne described her deceased friend as "cold" and said she couldn't find a pulse. She added: "There was mushed up food on her chest. She had some sort of food in her hand and purple blotches all over her. I knew she was dead. I ran upstairs to Laura to say she was dead. We were all in shock."
An ambulance was called at 7.18am and paramedics arrived at the scene at 7.20am. At 7.26am Kirsty was pronounced deceased. At approximately 8am several police officers arrived at the scene, including DC Lorna Annan, who gave evidence at the inquest.
The detective described the scene as "very clean and tidy" and that it did not initially appear suspicious. She said: "There were no signs of drugs around Kirsty."
The 40-year-old's friends later informed DC Annan that Kirsty was a heroin addict. Kirsty's "companion" William Renney also said he suspects she had taken drugs down from Scotland for their visit. After searching Kirsty's bedroom police found several bottles of methadone, as well as other substances. Officers also found "burnt tin foil" and clingfilm bags, which DC Annan suspects was used for heroin consumption.
More burnt tin foil was found in the kitchen bin. DC Annan despite the vast quantities of drugs there was no evidence that Kirsty intended to take her own life.
She said: "There was no evidence of intention to take her own life and there were no suspicious circumstances." DC Annan explained that the group of friends had been staying in Plymouth because the accommodation was more affordable than in Torquay.
She said Kirsty's friends had told the police how "she had always wanted to visit Torquay, the English Riviera. DC Annan concluded: "Kirsty appears to have suffered a reaction to a combination of drugs. This was an accident and not intentional."
Toxicologist Dr Stephen Morely found no traces of alcohol in Kirsty's blood but did note the presence of methadone, mirtazapine, benzodiazepine, pregabalin and flubromazolam.
Dr Morely concluded his findings by stating that the combination of methadone and high concentration of flubromazolam may have been fatal. He added that the other drugs in Kirsty's system would not have contributed to her death alone but would have increased her risk of death.
Pathologist Dr Adewunmi Oriolowo came to a similar conclusion and classified her death as "drug misuse". The only physical anomalies detected in the autopsy were pulmonary edema and signs of emphysema. However, Dr Oriolowo said neither would have caused her death.
Choking was also ruled out by the pathologist as there was no sign of infection in the lungs. On hearing all the evidence coroner Mr Cavell concluded Kirsty's death had been "unitnetional" and had been as a result of a "toxic combination of prescribed and unprescribed drugs". He added that this was a "drug-related death".
Concluding the inquest he said: "I offer my condolences to Kirsty's family."
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