A mother and her 19-year-old daughter were found dead just days apart after the teenager took her own life after giving birth, an inquest heard.
Rhianne Halton, who had hopes of becoming a hairdresser, had been bullied at college and gave birth to her second son during lockdown.
The 19-year-old hanged herself at her home in Torquay on May 10 last year, days after the birth of her second child following an argument with her ‘controlling’ boyfriend.
Less than three weeks later her grieving mother Jeanette Whittle suffered a fatal drug overdose.
The inquest heard the 44-year-old took the drugs, ‘to blot out the memory and stress of her daughter’s suicide’.
Bereft Barbara and Graham Whittle laid their daughter and granddaughter to rest in a joint funeral and had to sit through separate inquests into their deaths this week.
Rhianne Halton (left) had given birth to her second child six weeks before she hanged herself at her home. Days later her grieving mother Jeanette Whittle (right) suffered a fatal drug overdose
The mother and daughter were laid to rest in a joint funeral (pictured)
An inquest held in Plymouth on Tuesday heard Rhianne had a history of mental health problems caused by a ‘difficult childhood’ which saw her being raised by her grandparents.
She was bullied by peers at Newton Abbot College who knew about her mother’s drug addiction, the inquest heard.
Postnatal services had been impacted by the lockdown which meant face-to-face visits could not be carried out. But a review concluded they would not have been able to prevent her death.
Rhianne’s grandmother Barbara said: ‘Her death was a complete shock. I knew she had post-natal depression but she wouldn’t let me take her to the doctors because she was worried her children would be taken away from her.’
Rhianne’s 44-year-old mother Jeanette Whittle died from an overdose on May 29, 2020.
Paying tribute to her daughter Jeanette, Mrs Whittle added: ‘She got in with a bad crowd and had tried to come off the drugs but couldn’t in the end.
‘She really did love Rhianne, but she just couldn’t look after her. Both she and Rhianne would come here every Sunday for lunch before lockdown. They both adored the boys.
Rhianne Halton (pictured) took her own life aged just 19
‘I really don’t know if Jeanette’s overdose was intentional or not. I like to think it might have been an accident.
‘Their deaths so close to each other has been very, very upsetting. Every day sadness is there.’
Rhianne had a ‘difficult’ relationship with her partner, who was the father of her three-year-old son and the new baby boy, the hearing was told.
Stephen Covell, assistant coroner for Plymouth, was told that Miss Halton’s partner was ‘difficult and controlling’ and he left her for nine months.
During this period she began a relationship with another person. When the relationship ended Rhianne’s partner moved back to their home.
The inquest heard frequent arguments occurred between them, and they argued last May, and half an hour later – after exchanging a series of text messages – he returned to their home and found her hanged.
She left a suicide note for her boys saying how she loved them, adding, ‘daddy will look after you’.
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances in Rhianne’s death. She left a suicide note saying she loved her babies, adding that ‘daddy will look after you’ (pictured: file photo of Plymouth Coroner’s Court)
A post mortem examination confirmed the cause of her death was suspension by ligature.
A serious incident review report following the teenager’s death concluded it had demonstrated the importance of face-to-face contact, particularly for vulnerable women.
A Torbay maternity services investigation said there had been no concerns for Miss Halton’s physical or mental health after she gave birth to her second son in March last year. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances in the death.
Recording a conclusion of suicide, the coroner said: ‘I don’t find any deficiencies or failings by health services or anyone that would have had any material effect on the day Rhianne took her life.
‘The deceased intended to take her life. She suffered mental health problems, attributable to childhood trauma, and was in acute distress due to relationship difficulties.’
The inquest heard how Jeanette (left) had started taking drugs after ‘falling in with the wrong crowd’. Right, her daughter Rhianne
The inquest into Jeanette’s death heard she was found by a friend on her bed at her home in Kingskerswell.
Medical records stated a history of drug dependence, and that she had been receiving support from the Together Drug and Alcohol team in Newton Abbot.
A post mortem examination confirmed the cause of her death was mixed drug toxicity. It was stated she had taken potentially fatal levels of cocaine, heroin and methadone.
Recording a conclusion of drug related death, assistant coroner Mr Covell said: ‘She probably knew it was quite a significant quantity of drugs. She may have wanted to blot out the memory and stress of her daughter’s suicide, and the events on May 20 seemed to be a rehearsal for that.
‘To go as far as saying intended to take her life, I am not persuaded by that.’
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