Sheffield Keeley: Mystery surrounds death of well-known woman, 34, found unconscious in city centre

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The death of a Sheffield woman, well-known for TikTok videos of her, is currently unexplained.

The emergency services were called out to Arundel Gate shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday, January 15, 2025) after a woman, named locally as Keeley Thornton, was found unconscious.

CPR was reportedly administered at the scene by a member of the public, until ambulance crews arrived on the scene before rushing her to hospital.

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The emergency services were called out to Arundel Gate shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday, January 15, 2025) after a woman, named locally as Keeley Thornton, was found unconsciousThe emergency services were called out to Arundel Gate shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday, January 15, 2025) after a woman, named locally as Keeley Thornton, was found unconscious
The emergency services were called out to Arundel Gate shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday, January 15, 2025) after a woman, named locally as Keeley Thornton, was found unconscious | David Walsh

Keeley, aged 34, sadly could not be saved and was pronounced dead as she arrived at hospital.

Speaking tonight (Wednesday, January 15, 2025), police have now confirmed that a 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of administering a noxious substance in connection with Keeley’s death, and has since been released on bail.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Yesterday at 6.15pm, we were made aware by the ambulance service of a woman unconscious on Arundel Gate in Sheffield city centre.

“Officers attended and the woman, 34, was found to be receiving treatment at the scene.

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“She was conveyed to hospital by paramedics but was sadly pronounced dead on arrival.

“Her death is currently being treated as unexplained.

“Her family has been notified.

“A scene was established, which was later removed, and a 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of administering a noxious substance.

“She has since been released on police bail as enquiries continue.”

Keeley, referred to as ‘Sheffield Keeley’ on the social media platform TikTok, has become well-known for ‘bringing a smile to people’s faces’ with videos of her singing and dancing across different locations in Sheffield city centre.

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A number of people have paid tribute to Keeley, following the sad news of her death.

A Sheffield city centre worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Star: “She had a good heart and she looked after everybody.

“Everybody knew her. I'm just shocked."

“She was a loveable character who got caught up in the culture of the city, of people who like to do their own thing, their own way."

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“She was very well loved and she will be missed by a lot of people."

A number of online tributes reference a video of Keeley singing the Nelly Furtado song, I’m Like A Bird, with many posting videos of the song in her honour.

Posting on Facebook, one tribute reads: “Bless her fly like a bird girl you will be missed!! The joy of sheff town r.i.p Keeley.

“RIP Keeley Sheffield bird, our town isn’t going to be the same without you.”

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A blog written by the Archer Project, which supports the homeless and vulnerable, reads: “There is a lot of unhappy, hurt, upset and angry people who worked closely with her in homeless and other agencies today.

“We will take time to think through what it is we might have done differently to prevent this tragedy. What we do know is that voyeuristic social media gurus worked against those of us who were supporting her. They made her life worse. Today we will mourn, we will think of her and her family and the hurt they will be feeling.”

A GoFundMe page has been launched in a bid to raise money for Keeley’s family, which you can visit here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cotton-wool-keeley-thorton?qid=6cca84817f6dca87c0993a6330cfffed

The fundraising page description reads: “Hi my name is Cherie I’m fundraising for a young lady called Keeley Thorton, known as cotton wool to me, but to others some know her as Sheffield Keeley… who sadly passed away on the 14.1.25 she is now at peace. Fly like a bird, she had a beautiful heart anyone who knew the real Keeley knows this.

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“We would all like to help all the family at this sad time.“

A total of £140 of the £3,500 target had been raised at the time of writing.

Anyone with information which could help police with their investigation is asked to report online or call 101.

Please quote incident number 782 of January 14, 2025 when you get in touch.

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