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Daniel Foster’s mother Marie Corcoran and aunt Christina walker with a photograph of him |
Inquest fails to solve mystery of teen’s death
Family’s anguish continues as coroner returns open verdict in eight-month investigation
THE mysterious death of a 16-year-old boy who was found cold and blue in his bed could not be explained by a coroner.
On Tuesday, St Pancras coroner Dr Andrew Reid returned an open verdict into the death of Sean Daniel Foster, known as Daniel, after an eight-month investigation was unable to uncover the cause of his death.
Daniel, a drama student who was due to take up a plumbing course after struggling with classes due to his dyslexia, was found unconscious at his home in Green Lanes, Harringay, in January.
He was pronounced dead around two hours later at the Whittington Hospital in Archway.
In an emotional testimony his mother, Marie Corcoran, told the court she found her son on his bed looking like he’d “lain down and had a nap”.
On the day he died, Ms Corcoran had been out of the house helping a neighbour, and although she had popped home twice and even brought him a sandwich, she didn’t see him until she went up to his room after 6pm.
Describing the moment she walked into his room, she said: “I thought he was playing a sick joke on me. I said ‘What are you doing?’
“He was blue – I touched his cheek and he was cold.
“I was shaking so much. I screamed ‘Help me’. David [her neighbour] came out and I said ‘Daniel’s dead’.”
She also told the court she had had a premonition of her son’s death in dreams, but her fears had been dismissed by doctors who said she was having “morbid thoughts” due to depression.
While in the witness stand Ms Corcoran, a trained mediator who had practised role-playing with her son to help him get over bullying at primary school, revealed she was plagued with the feeling she could have saved him.
Asking herself why she hadn’t checked on him when she first arrived home at 4.30pm, she repeatedly said: “Why didn’t I go upstairs?”
Of the coroner’s findings, she said: “There’s nothing in there – absolutely nothing – how can that be? Could he have had a fit?”
Dr Reid replied: “There’s no evidence he had a fit.”
The court heard Daniel had suffered from asthma and sinusitis and had previously had a cyst on his brain removed.
However, Dr Reid said his past history appeared unrelated to his death, after a pathologist specialising in neurology could find nothing medically wrong with him.
Returning an open verdict, he said: “Taking all the evidence into account, Dr Simon Poole [the pathologist] was unable to ascertain a cause of death.”
And speaking directly to Daniel’s family, he added: “Sadly, despite extensive investigations, Daniel’s cause of death is unascertained. I’m sorry we weren’t able to give you any more answers.”
Speaking after the inquest, Ms Corcoran described Daniel as a “kind and loving son” who would write poetry and anti-war songs.
She said: “I still look at his artwork and poems and see such talent. He will be sorely missed.” |
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