Telford mother whose death sparked murder probe died of drug intoxication, inquest hears

Mother-of-three Mollie Rose Taylor, aged 28, died on March 23 last year at a house in Hill Road, Overdale, Telford.

Her inquest at Shirehall heard that Miss Taylor, from Admaston, Telford, was involved in "an altercation" the night before her death. Three men aged 34, 45 and 47 and two women aged 34 and 66 – all from the area – were arrested as part of the investigation then released on bail for 28 days.

However, a Home Office pathologist carried out a detailed post-mortem, and found that she had a mixture of drugs in her system, including morphine and cocaine.

After the altercation, Miss Taylor went to stay at Anjum Masood-King's house in Hill Road, arriving shortly after midnight. Ms Masood-King found Miss Taylor unresponsive at around 9am. Paramedics arrived but nothing could be done to save Miss Taylor, and she was pronounced dead at 10.05am.

John Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, said: "There were circumstances before the evening she was found deceased. She was in an altercation with others the evening before. She received certain injuries. It was important to establish whether that altercation or those injuries contributed to Mollie's death.

"As part of the investigation, they (West Mercia Police) instructed a Home Office pathologist to carry out a detailed forensic examination." The pathologist was confident that the injuries she sustained did not contribute to her death.

Mr Ellery added that there were "significant findings" in terms of the toxicology report, and that drugs including morphine and cocaine were found in her system.

Giving his conclusion, Mr Ellery said: "There is no evidence that the injuries caused her death, so I discount unlawful killing."

He also said there was "no suggestion" that Miss Taylor intended to take her own life. He recorded a conclusion of drug-related death.

An investigation into the police's handling of Miss Taylor is being carried out. A West Mercia Police spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that our Professional Standards Department is carrying out an investigation into contact the force had with Mollie Taylor before her death. As the investigation is on-going it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.”