South Yorkshire man's body undiscovered for years before mother's death
Council did not act when welfare concerns were raised
The body of a man was undiscovered for years despite his devoted mum living with it in her house, an inquest heard.
The hearing was also told of a missed opportunity, when Rotherham Council had been asked for help around five years earlier which resulted in no action being taken.
It may have been Carl Sampson, who was born in 1971, was already dead in the house he shared with his mother Ann, 73, at Treetown Crescent, Treeton, by that point, in 2021.
However, the hearing was told that when the council's adult social care team was approached by Mr Sampson's former partner, she was told it would take specific concerns - something she told the hearing she had expressed - or Mr Sampson's consent for them to intervene, and no action was taken.
Staff at the time said Mr Sampson, who suffered symptoms of the degenerative Huntington's Disease, was in contact with his GP, though in reality his last contact had been in 2007.
The council was unable to answer that discrepancy, but Assistant Coroner Simon Tait accepted it was a one-off error.
Police were called to the house in March this year when a concerned neighbour could not raise Mrs Sampson by telephone and saw her on the floor inside.
There had been a fire caused by an electric heater and her death was attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning, with heart disease a secondary factor.
Mr Sampson's remains were on a bed upstairs and he had to be identified using DNA techniques, with his cause of death remaining unascertained, though there were no signs of trauma or assault.
He had been carefully wrapped in a sheet and duvet.
Mr Tait questioned Rotherham Council representative Debbie Beaumont - who was not involved in the 2021 incident - over whether any changes had been made in the meantime.
She told him internal changes had been made subsequently, to improve the service.
She also apologised to the family and said she would have asked key questions in those circumstances, including what had prompted the caller to contact them at that point, had she been involved.
Inquiries by a coroner's officer revealed a total absence of contact with outside authorities beyond the last 2007 contact with Mr Sampson's GP, with the DWP confirming he had not been claiming benefits.
That accounted for him not being diagnosed as having Huntington’s Disease, though his symptoms indicated that was the case.
The situation leading to his death, then that of his mother, emerged as his health deteriorated and the Covid 19 pandemic struck.
Mr Sampson was not seen after 2019, making the timing of his death unclear, with his mother also shunning contact with others over a fear of contracting Covid.
Her grandson, Ethan, said in a statement read to the hearing: "She loved my dad, she was his carer and protector and would have done anything for him."
However, Ethan had tried to help his grandmother when she appeared to be struggling in a local shop in 2021, but her response was hostile, saying she did not want anything to do with him.
It was at that point social services were contacted, with the mystery over why staff thought contact with Mr Sampson's GP was in place remaining unanswered.
Inquests for mother and son were held at the same time at Doncaster Coronoer’s Court on Tuesday (September 15), with Mr Tait recording a conclusion of accidental death for Mrs Sampson and an open conclusion for her son, Carl.