The tragic deaths of 18-year-old Loraine Choulla and her mother Alphonsine Djiako Leuga highlight a devastating failure in emergency response and social care oversight. Their story, revealed during a harrowing inquest, underscores the vulnerability of individuals dependent on health and social systems and the dire consequences when these systems fail.
The inquest concluded that both lives could potentially have been saved if appropriate action had been taken following a desperate 999 call made by the mother months before their bodies were discovered. On May 21, 2023, the bodies of Loraine and her mother were found in their Nottingham home on Hartley Road, Radford. What made this discovery particularly shocking was that their deaths had occurred months earlier.
Loraine Choulla, who had Down’s syndrome and was entirely dependent on her mother for survival, died weeks after her mother passed away. The inquest revealed that Alphonsine had called 999 on February 2, 2023, requesting urgent medical help, only for the call to be dismissed as abandoned by the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS). This critical error, along with systemic failures from adult social care services, contributed directly to the pair’s prolonged suffering and untimely deaths.
Ignored Plea for Help: The 999 Call That Went Unanswered
On the afternoon of February 2, 2023, Alphonsine Djiako Leuga, aged 47 and a mother with known health issues, placed a 999 call requesting an ambulance. Her words were weak and fragmented — “I need help to my daughter… I’m in the bed, I feel cold and can’t move.” These statements should have immediately signaled distress. However, instead of dispatching medical assistance, EMAS categorized the call as abandoned. This decision, based on the call being cut short, would seal the fate of Alphonsine and her daughter.
What is particularly troubling is the lack of follow-up after the failed call. No welfare check was initiated, and no further action was taken despite clear signs that the caller was in medical distress. Alphonsine had been recently hospitalized for a blood transfusion due to critically low iron levels.
Medical staff had reportedly discharged her with consideration for the care needs of her daughter, who required constant attention and support due to her learning difficulties and Down’s syndrome. The fragility of Alphonsine’s condition combined with her caregiving responsibilities made her plea for help all the more urgent.
Read : Indian Man Attacked by Racist Gang in Tallaght
The assistant coroner, Amanda Bewley, expressed astonishment during the inquest, noting that it wasn’t social workers or health professionals who eventually raised concerns, but a member of the public. The individual contacted police after noticing the mother and daughter had not been seen for a prolonged period.
Read : Top Ten Most Famous Japanese Foods: A Culinary Journey
This delayed discovery meant that both women had been dead for “weeks to months” before they were found. Pathologist Dr. Stuart Hamilton supported this conclusion during his testimony, emphasizing the extended timeframe of their deaths.
A Systemic Collapse in Care and Responsibility
Beyond the failure of the ambulance service, the coroner highlighted glaring deficiencies in the adult social care system. Alphonsine had a history of avoiding phone calls and disappearing for extended periods, yet no one from Nottingham City Council’s adult social care department escalated concerns or followed up with welfare visits. These missed opportunities could have been pivotal in discovering the situation earlier and potentially saving Loraine Choulla’s life.
Assistant Coroner Bewley was unequivocal in her assessment: “I am entirely satisfied that had EMAS sent an ambulance to Alphonsine that Loraine would not have died when she died. She would most probably still be alive.” Loraine survived her mother by at least three weeks, dying from malnutrition and dehydration — a slow and preventable death caused by lack of basic care.
The coroner was “confident to a point of near certainty” that Loraine Choulla’s life could have been saved had authorities responded to the emergency call appropriately. Alphonsine’s own death was recorded as resulting from pneumonia sometime between February 2 and February 8. Despite this, there were no wellness checks or communication attempts strong enough to break through the isolation the family lived in.
This isolation was well known to services — yet no urgent action was triggered when Alphonsine failed to engage, even after her recent hospital discharge. The social care system’s inaction in the months leading up to the tragedy raises profound questions about how dependent individuals are monitored and supported.
Dr. Hamilton, who carried out the post-mortem examinations, could not determine a definitive cause of death for Loraine, stating that it was “unascertained.” However, he found no signs of third-party involvement or violence. The slow progression of starvation and dehydration was enough to claim her life. The inquest painted a heartbreaking picture of a vulnerable teenager left alone, without food, water, or care, in the days and weeks after her mother’s death — and all this after the state had a direct opportunity to intervene and prevent it.
Response and Regret: A Commitment to Change Too Late
In the aftermath of the inquest, Keeley Sheldon, director of quality at the East Midlands Ambulance Service, issued a statement expressing deep regret: “I am truly sorry that we did not respond as we should have to Alphonsine Djiako Leuga and Loraine Choulla. Our deepest condolences remain with their family.” She acknowledged the coroner’s findings and stated that EMAS had since reviewed and changed its internal policies, procedures, and staff training to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
While the statement conveys a tone of accountability, it comes too late for the mother and daughter whose lives were lost. It underscores a broader issue with emergency response systems — one where technical procedures and assumptions can override human judgment and compassion. In this case, a call from a clearly ill woman asking for help for herself and her disabled daughter should never have been disregarded based on procedural interpretation alone.
The death of Loraine Choulla, in particular, serves as a grim reminder of what happens when vulnerable individuals are overlooked. Her dependence on her mother was total, and without a support system stepping in when that mother became incapacitated, she had no chance of survival. This tragedy also invites reflection on the support structures in place for caregivers, many of whom struggle with their own health while looking after loved ones with high needs.
The coroner’s conclusion that Loraine Choulla could have lived if the ambulance had been sent is damning. It points to a clear, direct line of causality from the ignored 999 call to a young woman’s slow, lonely death. The systemic issues extend to social services, health care, and community safety nets — all of which failed to act when action was most needed.
As authorities and organizations commit to learning lessons from this incident, the case of Loraine Choulla and Alphonsine Djiako Leuga remains a somber warning. It reminds society of the need for compassion, vigilance, and human-centered decision-making in public services. A single call for help must never go unanswered again.