Nellie Toogood

Nellie Toogood was found dead beneath her bed.

The police surgeon that examined her body said that she had been dead for about 10 to 14 days.

She had burns around her mouth and a disinfectant bottle, with the bottle stopper screwed on tightly, was found in a corner of her room. The police said that they also found two medicine bottles on a table and a torch on the floor about three feet from her body.

One of Nellie Toogood's neighbours said that she called on her on 28 December 1944 to ask how she spent Christmas and said that Nellie Toogood told her that she had a cough and had been taking medicine for it.

Nellie Toogood's doctor said that he had treated Nellie Toogood on two occasions before Christmas, one time being for her nerves. He said that he thought that she was highly strung but said that he didn't think that she had any suicidal tendencies. He noted that she was practically blind in one eye.

The pathologist that carried out the post-mortem on Nellie Toogood's body said that her death was due to disinfectant poison and that he found that only a small quantity had been taken.

The coroner returned an open verdict, stating that Nellie Toogood was short-sighted and that she might have mistaken the disinfectant bottle for her medicine bottle.