A promising young student died after she caught Covid and self-isolated in her room for nine days. Selina Michelle Lavis was pronounced dead by paramedics on August 29, 2021, after her flatmate and her boyfriend returned to find her unresponsive in her bed.
An inquest heard that the University of Arts London student had tested positive for Covid-19 on August 20, and her two flatmates had decided to move out until she tested negative. The 20-year-old, who was originally from Devon, had last spoken to her friend Rachel Double on Snapchat at 6pm on Friday, August 27, and had confirmed that she had tested negative.
Upon returning to the property in Brixton Hill shortly before 7pm on the Sunday evening, her flatmate had noticed a number of parcels sitting in the hallway. After carrying them into the lounge, she went to open Selina’s bedroom door and found her.
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In a statement read aloud by Assistant Coroner Fleur Hallett, Rachel said: “I saw her there laying in the bed. I then went into the room to try and wake her up. I then went outside crying, rang my boyfriend and came back in to try and wake her up.”
Both she and her boyfriend, Adrian Khoo, called the emergency services and ran across the road to HMP Brixton to try and ask for help. Shortly afterwards, paramedics arrived and Selina was pronounced dead at 7.10pm.
The inquest heard that Selina had “openly talked about suicidal thoughts” and was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and a borderline personality disorder, however had been “excited” to travel to Germany the following week. Her other flatmate, Hannah McLeod, had been staying at a hotel in Croydon and was informed by Rachel of her death.
She had last seen Selina two days previously when she told them she had tested negative and came to collect her bank card from the hotel, where she had appeared “normal and excited”.
An investigation of the flat found that there were no signs of an assault, and the neighbours had heard no signs of a disturbance. There was also no suicide note and despite packets of Nurofen being found in the bedroom and the kitchen bin, these were consistent with her symptoms of Covid-19 from the previous week.
However, it had been indicated to the police and the London Ambulance Service that Selina “ate an excessive amount of salt and drank a lot of sparkling water”, and that her friends suspected her of having an undiagnosed eating disorder. A statement from her GP at Litchdon Medical Centre showed that she had been diagnosed with anxiety and depression in September 2020, as well as a diagnosis in May 2021 of emotional and unstable personality disorder.
A post-mortem examination conducted by Professor Peter Vanezis found that Selina had “significant decomposition to the internal organs”, and the toxicology report found no drugs or alcohol in her system. Her cause of death was given as 1a) unascertained due to 1b) decomposition.
Closing the inquest, Ms Hallett told Inner South London Coroner’s Court that there was no “sufficient evidence” that her death had been accidental, nor could it be ruled as a suicide. She said: “I note Ms Lavis’ medical history and the previous reference to self harm injuries.
“To find a conclusion of suicide, I must be sure the deceased took her own life and satisfied the deceased intended to do so upon the balance of all probabilities. Upon that balance, I do not think there is sufficient evidence Ms Lavis took her own life or intended to do so.”
She continued: “Despite a history of self harm and a diagnosis, there was no evidence to suggest Ms Lavis had taken her own life and the toxicology showed no alcohol or drugs could be found in her system.”
Reaching a verdict of an open conclusion, she said: “I find an open conclusion to be the most appropriate in this case due to the lack of evidence to what happened to Ms Lavis between the last time she spoke to her flatmate at 6pm on Friday to when she was found unresponsive by her flatmate shortly before 7pm on Sunday, August 29.”
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