A mother of five is d3ad after one of her dogs turned on her in her own home just weeks after her daughter suddenly lost her life.
Michelle Hempstead, 34, was attacked by one of her dogs on July 29 but managed to escape and climb over the balcony rail of her flat in Southend-on-Sea, UK.
She later died of her injuries at Royal London Hospital, an inquest was told before it was suspended for three months pending criminal investigation.
Police said two dogs who aren’t from a banned breed were seized from Michelle’s home, it is still not known if the dogs have been killed.
The sad story started when Michelle’s first-born daughter died on June 4, making it an ‘awfully tragic time’ for the family, according to Lincoln Brookes, senior coroner for Essex.
Lincoln told the inquest he offered his ‘deepest condolences’.
A post-mortem found that a laceration to her upper left arm cut Michelle’s left axillary artery, which contributed to her death.
She also suffered from multi-organ failure and hypovolemic shock.
One of Michelle’s friends told the Southend Echo: ‘
She always went above and beyond for people, whether it was stray cats or rough sleepers, Michelle would always get them water, always do something and always recognise people.’
A friend of hers wrote on the go-fund-me page set up to handle her burial cost:
‘Michelle wasn’t just a mother to five beautiful children, she was a daughter, a friend, a neighbour, a big support system for the people around her but undoubtedly the kindest soul to have crossed everyone’s paths.’
Her close friend Liah told the Gazette Standard: ‘[Her death] was too much, there was panic and we had no idea what was going to happen.
‘It is so hard, I can imagine how hard it was for her, I can’t imagine her headspace and I cannot stop thinking about how she must have felt at the time.’
