Struggling mum took her life after neighbour threatened to kill her

A mum took her own life after enduring months of anguish and stress from a neighbour who threatened to kill her and even burnt her fence down, an inquest into her death heard. Danielle Aday was found at her home after friends raised concern for her welfare when they failed to hear from her for a few days.

Police were called to her property and called in the fire service for fear that the house might be filled with potentially lethal carbon monoxide. Once the property was inspected and made safe, officers from Devon and Cornwall Police searched the home and discovered the 57-year-old's body. Her dog was also found dead in the bedroom.

A postmortem report revealed Ms Aday's medical cause of death as carbon monoxide poisoning and antidepressant toxicity. The inquest into her death on June 2 last year, was told how Ms Aday had been a very private person who had two estranged grown up sons and a job at Tredethick Farm where she was known to be a hard worker.

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Her friend and boss Jennifer Beadle told the inquest held in Truro today (Tuesday, September 3) how the two women struck a friendship through their shared love of animals and food. In her statement read out in the coroner's court, she said: "Danielle was a very private person who didn't divulge much about her personal life. She had children but didn't want to talk about them as she was estranged from them.

"In 2022, she was under great stress from her neighbour who threatened her and set fire to her fence." Ms Beadle said that she had met Ms Aday a few days before her death and she had seemed her normal self. When she didn't reply to messages when she had been due to work, Ms Beadle raised the alarm.

Neighbour Tyron Sumner also told the court about Ms Aday's and his issues with their neighbour. In his statement to the inquest he said the antisocial neighbour had threatened to kill her, called her a witch and burnt her fence down before he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

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He said: "This neighbour made her life hell. That was the main issue for her."

The inquest was also told that the troublesome neighbour at Lerryn near Lostwithiel was released from hospital without any of his neighbours, including Ms Aday, being told about it, which caused her a great deal of anxiety and stress. He was eventually re-sectioned so his own mental health problems could be addressed.

Recording a suicide conclusion, Andrew Cox, senior coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said Ms Aday had been alcohol-dependent, was estranged from her sons and had a number of stresses in her life including difficulties dealing with a neighbour who had his own mental health issues.

He said that emergency services were called to her address after she was not seen for a few days and discovered her and her dog. Mr Cox said that while no suicide note had been found her actions "spoke of a person intent on taking their own life".

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