MYSTERY surrounds the death of a Milnthorpe woman who died from an overdose of prescription drugs.

Christine Dold, 57, was found dead on February 7 with several different types of morphine-based medication in the bedrooms and kitchen of her Owlet Ash Fields home.

The inquest was told that among the treatment prescribed to Mrs Dold, who suffered from back pain and depression, were fentanyl patches. She wore one patch every three days to help with her back problems.

Her husband, Christopher, told the inquest that his wife had a history of addiction to some of the prescribed painkillers.

But consultatnt pathologist Dr Al Mudhaffar said that when he discovered a fatal amount of fentanyl in Mrs Dold’s body during a post mortem examination, she was wearing only one prescribed patch.

The inquest heard that the cause of death was respiratory depression through fentanyl overdose.

It led coroner for south and east Cumbria Ian Smith to record an open vedict, saying he could not be sure how Mrs Dold died. But he reassured Mr Dold that he did not think she had committed suicide.

Mr Smith said: “There is no evidence explaining how Mrs Dold managed to have such a high level of fentanyl.

“There are more questions here than answers and there is no evidence that can give me the answers I would like to give to the family.”

A post mortem examination also revealed that Mrs Dold suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage, or bleeding, to her brain. The inquest heard that the injury should not have been significant enough to have caused her to die.

Mr Smith said the treatment Mrs Dold was receiving could make her more susceptible to bleeding, which could have been caused had she fallen over or walked into a door. But Mr Smith said there was no evidence to suggest how that head injury came about.