A mother of three lay dead beneath six feet of rubbish for 19 months before anyone noticed she was there, an inquest has heard.
The
skeletal remains of Julie Ann Watson, 37, were found curled in a foetal
position beneath a pile of bin bags to the rear of a derelict house,
yards from where she lived in South Belfast.
Her
body was so badly decomposed no cause of death could be determined and
authorities had to resort to calling in an archaeologist to help with
post-mortem examinations.
'A desperately sad and shocking case': Coroner
Jim Kitson, sitting at Belfast Coroner's Court, could not determine the
cause of Julie Ann Watson's death because her remains were so badly decayed
'This
is a desperately sad and tragic case,' said Belfast Coroner Jim Kitson.
'It is also in some ways shocking that the body of a young woman of
some 37 years of age can lie undiscovered for a period of 19 months.'
Ms Watson was last seen alive in August 2009 and her final bank activity was a month later, police said.
The
heavy-drinking mother may have died from sniffing solvents after an
aerosol can was found beside her, a pathologist said, but he was unable
to make a definitive finding because the body was so badly decayed.
The coroner could not determine a cause of death.
'It
appears quite clear that Julie's life was out of control and sadly it
appears Julie was in the grips of some sort of alcoholism or addiction,'
Mr Kitson said.
Her brother William Watson had not seen her since 2006 and a close friend said she had become afraid to leave her home.
Nicola
Johnston recalled her drinking from morning to night, litre after litre
of cider. 'She was sitting crying like a baby,' Ms Johnston added.
Ms Watson was only found after an
elderly neighbour complained about the growing piles of rubbish at the
property on Donegall Avenue, which the inquest heard was a common spot
for fly-tipping.
Construction workers found the dead woman in April 2011, the Irish Independent reported
Her
body was covered in several old fractures from an accident or assault,
pathologist Dr Alistair Bentley said, including a bone in her neck
broken by pressure.
None of these injuries caused her death and had happened a considerable time beforehand, the expert added.
An
archaeology expert had to be brought in to identify the different
fractures, which may have been caused by falls linked to excessive
drinking.
'She thought the whole world was against her'
William Watson, Julie Ann's brother
Miss Watson had a difficult start to
life and was put into foster care after her parents split, her brother
said. She later went through a divorce, descending into a spiral of
depression and alcoholism, the inquest heard.
'She thought the whole world was against her,' Mr Watson recalled.
After
her divorce she 'dropped off the radar', the coroner said. She stayed
with friends or in hostels but later moved into a property at Kitchener
Street, close to where her body was found, with a friend called Joseph
Blair.
He told police she
tended to leave for weeks at a time and he did not consider them to be
in a relationship. After she disappeared in August 2009 he assumed she
was living somewhere else.
He
was interviewed by police but a detective told the inquest his account
was plausible and there were no signs of a crime having been committed.
Dr
Bentley said: 'Within the limits imposed by the degree of decomposition
there was nothing that I found to suggest that she had been the victim
of a homicide.'
Her bones were found curled in a foetal position with an aerosol and plastic bag close.
A
pathologist said she may have been inhaling the gases of the spray,
which can interfere with the heart beat, but it was not possible to
analyse for the toxic substances.
The coroner said it was clear she was not the victim of a murder.
'Her death will remain undetermined due to advanced decomposition,' he added.
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