Coroner rules on woman, 40, found dead in room at Blackpool's Sapphire Hotel, South Shore
The death of a woman in a room at Blackpool hotel has been probed by the coroner.
Staff at The Sapphire Hotel in South Shore found the body of 40-year-old Maria Slater on December 6, last year.
The discovery was made when hotel staff carried out a check when she has failed to check out as planned.
An inquest at Blackpool Town Hall heard Ms Slater, who was born in Preston, had checked into the Sapphire Hotel, South Shore on December 5 last year.
She was alone, had booked for a single night and was due to check out at 11am the following day.
When the room was checked, Ms Slater was found hanged in the bathroom.
In her room were several notes and poems along with some alcoholic drink, and a post mortem showed a level of alcohol in her system around twice the drink drive limit along with caffeine and prescribed anti-depressant medication.
A statement from a hotel staff member read at the inquest said Ms Slater had been seen having several drinks in the hotel bar in the afternoon and early evening after she checked in and she also enthusiastically joined in with a karaoke session.
She was last seen by staff exiting the hotel via the main doors onto the promenade.
Police checked CCTV and she was seen on camera some time later walking up steps towards her room, carrying some food and, according to the statement from police “swaying as if intoxicated and also apparently singing”.
A GP statement said Ms Slater had been diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder in 2009.
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Ms Slater, who was born in Preston but had sporadic contact with her family in the months up to her death and whose residential address was unknown to them, had worked a prison officer.
There was some evidence on her phone of texts which suggested a recent failed relationship but no further details were known.
Senior coroner Alan Wilson recorded that the cause of death was hanging, as confirmed at the post mortem, but said he could not return a verdict of suicide as the alcohol and medication in her system cast doubt over there was a clear intention to take her own life.
Also, while there were various notes and poems in the room where she was found, none indicated a clear intention of suicide.
Police had confirmed there was no third party involvement in her death.
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