Miriam Rhodes

Miriam Rhodes was found dead at the bottom of her stairs.

Her inquest recorded her cause of death as being due to hypothermia in conjunction with alcoholic ketoacidosis after consuming a significant amount of alcohol prior to her death. However, it was noted that at the time of her death there was very little alcohol in her system, it being said that she had drunk it sometime before she died and had not been drinking within the 24-hours before her death.

She had been an antique dealer.

A 43-year-old man was initially arrested on suspicion of her murder, but the police later stated that her death was not suspicious and that there was no third party involvement and that the case was closed.

However, family members later accused the man, who had been the last person to have seen her alive, of being a liar as he gave his evidence at the inquest.

When Miriam Rhodes was found she had been in her night attire and a near-empty glass of whiskey was found at the top of the stairs.

She was also found to have had other injuries, including bruising and a dislocated elbow. She also had bruising to her forehead and black eyes, which were said to have been consistent with hitting the ground.

It was also noted that a set of keys to her house were found on a muddy footpath near her home the day after she died.

A book on assisted suicide was also found in her home, and it was not clear how it got there, it being noted that when the last person to see her alive was asked where it came from at the inquest he refused to answer. However, the Coroner noted that the question was not relevant to the hearing.

The last person to see her said that he had gone to see her at her home on 12 February 2020 at about 9pm to share a bottle of whiskey, and later left at 11pm. He said that he normally visited her a couple of times a week and that when she had let him in she had been in her nightdress.

However, a co-executor to Miriam Rhodes said that Miriam Rhodes would not have usually drunk half a bottle of whiskey as the man had stated. Another friend of Miriam Rhodes said, 'I don’t believe it. I don’t believe a word you say'.