Wife, 48, hanged herself after all her hair fell out, her dog died and she discovered she was unable to have children, inquest hears
- Kim Whitham, 48, from Worthing, West Sussex, found dead by husband Darren
- She hanged herself at home six days following the death of family dog Lily
- The dog’s death came after Mrs Whitham’s blonde hair started to fall out
- For confidential support call Samaritans on 116123 or visit a Samaritans branch
A wife hanged herself after losing her hair, being unable to have children and her dog dying, an inquest heard.
Kim Whitham, 48, from Worthing, West Sussex, was found dead by her husband Darren after the tragic series of events left her struggling.
She hanged herself at home six days following the death of the family dog, named Lily.
The dog’s death came after Mrs Whitham’s blonde hair started to fall out due to the condition alopecia.
Mrs Whitham and her husband, 47, also had been unable to have children but doted on Lily and their pet horse, named Pebbles.
A wife hanged herself after losing her hair, being unable to have children and her dog dying, an inquest heard. Kim Whitham, 48, from Worthing, West Sussex, was found dead by her husband Darren after the tragic series of events left her struggling. Pictured: Mrs Whitham with her pet horse, named Pebbles
After Lily’s death on August 24, Mrs Whitham had told her electrician husband that she was going to the stables to visit her horse while he went to visit friends.
However when he returned to their home he found his wife hanged, a coroner’s officer said.
Geoff Charnock, the West Sussex Coroner’s officer, read out evidence to the inquest which said: ‘Kim had been married to her husband Darren and they had been together for 18 years.
‘Kim and Darren were unable to have children and although he was able to accept this Kim struggled and it made her very sad.
‘Kim also suffered with Alopecia and lost her hair. This was devastating for Kim but she soldiered on and was very brave.
‘Kim never had any counselling but had been prescribed anti-depressants.
‘Kim put a brave face on and tried to remain strong. Her horse Pebbles was a great comfort to her as well as their dog Lily.’
Kim Whitham (pictured centre) was found dead on August 28, with the coroner ruling her death as a suicide
Following the death of Lily, Mrs Whitham and her husband had been out for a pub lunch together on August 28 and Mr Whitham told the inquest he felt she was coping, so the next day he went to visit some friends.
Mr Charnock added: ‘Kim was going to go to the stables to see her horse.
However, she never went to the stables. Darren arrived home just before midnight and found Kim hanging from the bannister.’
Emergency services were scrambled to the scene where Mrs Whitham was declared dead shortly after midnight and a cause of death was given following a post mortem examination, as hanging.
A toxicological examination found Mrs Whitham had 228mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in her system, almost three times the drink-drive limit, the coroner was told.
Sarah Clarke, the assistant coroner for West Sussex, concluded an inquest at Crawley Coroner’s Court by saying: ‘I do find that on the balance of probabilities this was a deliberate act by Mrs Whitham to take her own life and that this was that act that ended her life.’
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
