Health3 min(s) read
Published 14:08 23 May 2026 GMT
According to an inquest, a suicide kit was used by a mom-of-two to end her own life after she was turned away from mental health services.
Jane Colechin, 44, a charity worker who lived in London, struggled with severe anxiety and, on New Year’s Eve 2025, with a lethal drug she had ordered online.
Described by those who knew her as “loving, fiercely intelligent, vivacious and unfiltered”, Colechin had been recently signed off from the charity she worked for after a project she was managing lost its funding.
The mother of twins Josh and Fred had struggled with her mental health since her two children were born in 2017 and even spent time in Homerton Hospital’s Mother and Baby unit.
According to her partner Sean Gleeson, she recovered well, but things quickly spiralled in early 2024 after the couple both contracted a virus, which led to them suffering with insomnia and, for Colechin, anxiety.
She was promptly prescribed the anti-anxiety drug clonazepam as workplace stress and sleep problems made her anxiety worse.
Colechin visited her doctor a number of times in November and December and was referred to a psychologist, but on December 23, things got much worse. She tried to contact the Newham Home Treatment Team, where she had been referred, but was told that she would need to call 111.
Then, on December 30, she attended the ER at Newham Hospital with anxiety but was told she could not be seen due to the site’s psychiatrists only seeing people who had associated physical symptoms.
Medical staff told the inquest that Colechin had presented well, was articulate, and denied suicidal thoughts, which meant she was not seen as a risk.
Tragically, when Gleeson returned home on January 1 after celebrating New Year’s Eve with friends out of town, he found his partner’s lifeless body in the basement, and, despite calling an ambulance, it was too late.
Police have been investigating Colechin’s death as part of a wider investigation into the substance. At least five people are believed to have died after ordering the chemical online.
Detective Constable Sam Drury told an inquest: “I looked through her mobile phone for keywords relating to this (the substance) and found 1,360 instances of them between 1 December 2024 and 1 January 2025. She also went onto a website which provides information relating to suicide and the chemical as well as a Royal Mail tracking service for a parcel with the chemical.”
A toxicology report found that the chemical was present at 46,860 times higher than in a healthy fasted person.
Coroner Nadia Persaud declared Colechin’s cause of death to be suicide due to her taking the chemical.
Friend Suzanne Hu described Jane as a “brilliant colleague and beautiful friend to so many of us.
“Her loss is huge, especially to Sean, Fred and Josh who are deeply grieving such an important figure in their lives,” she added.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.
