A schizophrenic woman was found in a "mummified" and "skeletal state" after she lay dead in her apartment for more than three and a half years.
Thirty-eight-year-old Laura Winham's family claim she was "abandoned and left to die" due to failings by the UK's publicly funded healthcare system - the National Health Service (NHS).
They also claim that she was let down by social services before her remains were found by her brother in May 2021, per BBC News.
She is believed to have passed away in November 2017 despite being referred to social care twice in the years prior.
Laura, who lived in subsidized housing in Surrey, UK, was estranged from her family.
In 2014, a referral was made to Woking Community Mental Health Recovery and her doctor, noting that she seemed to have "untreated mental health issues", her family said. They went on to claim that nothing was done following the referral.
After paying Laura a visit back in October 2017, in what may have been the last time she was seen alive, Surrey Police told Surrey County Council that she had been "self-neglecting, had little food, and appeared unaware of how to access local services for help".
Not long after this, the notes on Laura's calendar came to a stop, and of the last entries was: "I need help."
Her sister Nicky said contact between Laura and her family waned after the late victim's mental illness led her to be convinced that they would harm her.
She said in spite of the "warning signs" about her declining mental health, "everyone seems to have turned a blind eye".
She added: "Everybody who was in contact with Laura and had a duty to her at some stage simply wiped their hands of her and forgot her. She was abandoned and left to die.
"It's just heart-breaking to think of how she lived in her last few years, unable to ask for help, without anyone there for her."
Iftikhar Manzoor, of Hudgell Solicitors, the family's legal rep, said: "Laura was referred to adult social care teams twice, firstly in 2014 and then by the police in October 2017. Assessments of her needs were not carried out. Without doubt these were clear missed opportunities to intervene and carry out a welfare check."
After authorities received a concern for safety report at a home in Woking on May 24, 2021, they went to the property only to discover the body of a female in her 30s.
Police said it was unlikely that there was any third-party involvement in her death after an investigation was carried out. A file was also passed to the coroner.
A police spokesperson added: "Officers previously attended the address in October 2017. No offences were identified and a report was completed and shared with adult social care at that time."
A spokesperson for Surrey County Council described the case as a "truly tragic" and complex one, and said that "every aspect" of it should be reviewed.
"We're committed to participating fully in the inquest process," they added.
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