Young men's deaths within 24 hours at Notts care home 'odd, troubling' and 'totally unexplained'

A coroner has concluded the deaths of two young men at a Nottinghamshire care home remain "totally unexplained". David Dickson and Stuart "Stuie" Hill died aged 24 and 23 at Dannsa House, a facility which provided care for up to five young adults with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs, in East Markham.

The two men, who were a support worker and a resident at the home, were declared deceased 23 hours apart, on August 25 and August 26, 2023. Despite a 15-month police investigation which took "hundreds" of hours to complete, a cause of death for the two men could not be ascertained, an inquest held into their deaths on Friday, November 22, concluded.

The Nottinghamshire Police investigation generated more than 380 actions to establish the circumstances of David and Stuie's deaths, including assistance from various experts in fields such as forensic pathology and toxicology, the fire service, a Natural History Museum accredited botanist and more than 14 witnesses. None of the sources resulted in the identification of any further reasonable lines of inquiry to explain the deaths.

Coroner Laurinda Bower told the hearing at Nottingham Council House: "It is my strong suspicion that David and Stuie died unconnected natural deaths, but I cannot determine such on a balance of probabilities in the absence of some evidence to this hypothesis. Further, it is an odd and troubling scenario to have two young men die in the same location almost 24 hours apart and for each to have had no sign of illness or disease that has caused or contributed to death.

"Their deaths are totally unexplained even after an extensive investigation. The combination of a 15-month police and coronial investigation and three days of court time dedicated to explore the evidence gathered which has been warranted in this case has sadly resulted in me being unable to determine the cause of death for either young man.

"I am incredibly sorry to both families that we do not have an answer as to how your loved one died." The inquest heard that both David and Stuie appeared fine prior to their deaths and did not complain of any illnesses.

David had been staying at Dannsa House, part of Kisimul Group, overnight before his death, ready for an early shift the day after. He was then found collapsed in his room by the facility's manager, Ashleigh Hunt. Despite basic life support provided by the members of staff and CPR from the ambulance service, he could not be resuscitated and he was declared deceased at around 10.30am on August 25.

Stuie was then found unresponsive in bed and despite the efforts of the care home staff and paramedics, he was pronounced dead at around 9.30am on August 26. Nothing suspicious was found at the scene on this occasion either.

Coroner Bower explained why the care home was subsequently closed following the incidents, despite no apparent suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths. She said: "Given the sudden and unexpected nature of Stuie's death and the fact that it was in proximity to the unexplained death of David, in both time and place, the home was cleared and secured in case there was an environmental hazard, and for a more detailed examination of the premises to take place."

The most thorough of post-mortem examinations were ordered for both men, that being a Home Office approved autopsy. The examinations found that both men's lungs were congested, however, this did not assist in establishing a conclusive cause of death.

Coroner Bower said: "This is a non specific finding that is detected in the vast majority of post-mortem examinations and does not lend itself towards a particular cause of death". No other underlying issues or abnormalities were identified that could have caused or contributed to the deaths in either case.

The possibility of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) was also considered as "it is recognised that abnormal conduction of electrical signals through the heart can result in sudden death in young patients who are otherwise fit and well". This possibility cannot be investigated post-mortem, however, as the signals are no longer present after death.

Coroner Bower added that she has found no evidence of any failings in care towards either man. David was described as kind, caring, thoughtful and professional and was a much-loved husband and valued member of the care team at Dannsa House.

He was also described as "someone who could be relied upon and somebody who could break a joke". Stuie was a beloved son "with a megawatt smile". The coroner said: "It is testament to Stuie and the love for him that there were so many members of his immediate family and extended family in court to observe the inquest."

Nicky Cooper, director of quality and practice at Kisimul, said: "Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of David and Stuart. We have worked to support the police and other authorities during this difficult time and with the inquest now concluded, we will focus on continuing to support our service users and teams."