A coroner has launched an investigation into a young man’s unexplained death in a Romford flat.
George Fraser, 37, was found dead at his home in Angel Way by his sister Eloise Watkins on July 29, East London Coroner’s Court has heard.
But despite expert investigations, his cause of death remains a mystery.
Senior coroner Graeme Irvine opened an inquest into Mr Fraser’s death on Wednesday, November 27.
He told the Walthamstow courthouse that Mrs Watkins “had been on holiday and hadn’t heard from George for a number of weeks".
Their last meaningful contact had been around July 8 to 10, the coroner stated.
“Eloise had a spare key for Mr Fraser’s address and admitted herself into his home when she could not raise him.
“Eloise found George deceased on the bedroom floor with a traumatic injury to his head. George had been dead for some time and there were signs of decomposition.
“An ambulance was called, as was the Metropolitan Police Service, who carried out an investigation at the scene.
“The police did not find any signs of a disturbance.”
Officers found nothing to suggest Mr Fraser’s death was “caused by crime”, said Mr Irvine, instead finding it “seemed consistent with a fall”.
The coroner ordered a post-mortem examination.
“Unfortunately, following the autopsy, there was no clear cause of death,” he said.
Further specialist opinion was sought and eventually a provisional cause of death was given as “sudden unexpected death in epilepsy”.
But, said Mr Irvine, this was simply because Mr Fraser was known to have epilepsy.
“That cause of death is a diagnosis of exclusion,” he explained. “A diagnosis that is offered to describe the general circumstances of the death, but is plainly an admission that the mechanism of death is unknown.”
“Given those circumstances, it is proper to open an inquest,” said Mr Irvine.
He declared Mr Fraser’s family “interested persons”, giving them the right to examine evidence and question any witnesses called to give evidence.
He also asked them for a background statement.
“I want to know who Mr Fraser was in life,” he said. “I want to know about his job, his health, his mental health and any other factors that are relevant in determining how he came by his death at such a young age.”
Mr Irvine asked his coroner’s officers to make contact with the neurological consultant responsible for Mr Fraser’s epilepsy treatment and find out “what medications he was on, his compliance with those medications and any factors that are likely to have triggered a seizure.”
The inquest was scheduled for May 14.
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