Tragedy as 'one of a kind' Barnsley woman dies after overdose
“She was a woman of many talents and had such a kind soul”
A woman from Barnsley took her own life after overdosing on her prescribed anxiety medication.
Rebecca Joanne Marsh, was just 29 when she died on February 20, 2026 at Barnsley Hospital, an inquest heard.
During the day prior to her death, she went out shopping with her partner and was in a “good mood” and “singing in the car”.
But coroner Natalie James reported that after returning home at around 6pm, Ms Marsh “was not herself”.
Her partner, Jade, checked the bin and a number of empty boxes of anxiety medication and following this, Rebecca “deteriorated quite quickly”.
Emergency services were called and Rebecca was taken to Barnsley Hospital, where she died.
During the inquest, the coroner read out a report from pathologist Dr Clare Bunning, which stated Rebecca “had a history of mental health issues”.
She added: “She was fitting in the ambulance and went into cardiac arrest.”
Despite being given CPR, she could not be saved.
Rebecca had a history of mental health problems and had overdosed a number of times in the past, the inquest heard.
She received support from Lundwood Health Centre, and in July 2025 she had a referral marked as “urgent” with Barnsley Mental Health Services due to her “deteriorating mental health state”.
A report from Dr Nawaz, a GP at Goldthorpe Medical Centre, confirmed her past medical history as “emotionally unstable” and stated she was on various anti-depressants.
The report read: “The plan was to increase the (anxiety medication) to twice a day, she was finding it difficult to stop the thoughts in her head.”
On October 27, 2025, Rebecca was seen by a GP for her anxiety.
Her prescription for anxiety medication increased to three times a day, and pregabalin to two times a day.
Tests revealed evidence of both in Rebecca’s system but the level of anxiety was enough to prove fatal and the coroner concluded that the cause of death was suicide.
Rebecca’s partner, Jade, said: “I don’t think she planned to die that day, I honestly believe that was a tragic accident.
“She was just amazing, she was a joy to be around. Despite everything she went through she was just the most caring and loving person you’ll ever meet.”
Remembering Rebecca, Jade’s grandad Frank said: “I treated her like my own granddaughter. I got on very well with her and to be honest I really loved her.”
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