Mystery as decomposing body of Sheffield mum found with knife under her pillow

The body of a mum from Sheffield who left behind her six-year-old daughter was not found until up to four weeks after she died, a coroner's court has heard. After Alicia Douglass was found dead at her home on August 7, 2024, police initially arrested he ex-partner on suspicion of murder, but no charge came and the investigation was dropped.

But now Sheffield Coroner's Court has heard how the decomposition of Alicia's body after being left for two to four weeks made it hard for the police to understand the cause of death. But the full circumstances are still not yet understood, with Hannah Berry, assistant coroner, concluding the reason as "open". The court heard evidence by DS Liam Milner that showed Alicia looking ill when she was last seen in July, being described as "yellow all over".

The Detective Sergeant also said that after she was reported missing by her friend, officers visited her home, where they found her lying across the bed with a knife under her pillow and with several empty bottles of cider in the room.

A cousin of Alicia, Leanne Watts, told the coroner: "We understand the decomposition makes it difficult to determine certain evidence. The circumstances, to me, are suspicious in themselves. How can you explain it?"

Another cousin, Hayley Bates, called for the coroner to give a reason for her death. She told the court: "She had a troubled life, but she leaves behind a six-year-old daughter.

"If there's anything she got right, it was being a mum to Ava."

"Alicia's mum would like a reason for why her daughter died and to be able to tell Ava what happened to her mum."

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