Keeley Thornton: Sheffield woman's tragic death 'highlights shocking life expectancy of people sleeping rough'
The tragic death of a Sheffield woman highlights the ‘shocking life expectancy of people sleeping rough’, a councillor has said.
Sheffield is mourning the loss of Keeley Thornton, who was found unconscious on Arundel Gate and was taken to hospital where she was sadly pronounced dead on arrival last Tuesday, January 14. She was just 34 years old.
Ms Thornton was well known on TikTok, where millions of people have viewed videos posted by others of her singing and dancing, often tagged as ‘Sheffield Keeley’.
A homelessness charity said she had been ‘exploited for likes’ by people who paid her money to perform, feeding her alcohol addiction.
Those who knew Ms Thornton have told how she had a ‘beautiful heart’ and was a ‘loveable character’ who will be ‘missed by a lot of people’.
‘Our thoughts are with all those who knew her’
Councillor Douglas Johnson, chair of Sheffield City Council’s Housing Committee, said: “This incident is a tragic one, and highlights the sometimes shocking life expectancy of people sleeping rough.
“Keeley was known to our staff and services and had been supported with her needs. They will have been personally saddened by this news. Our thoughts are with all those who knew her.
“We will continue to work with partners providing support to those that need it and continue to support all relevant organisations with their investigations into what happened.”
The average age at which people in England and Wales died in ‘identified homeless cases’ in 2018 was 45 years for men and 43 years for women, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. That is much lower than the overall mean of 76 years for men and 81 years for women.
South Yorkshire Police has said that Ms Thornton’s death is being treated as ‘unexplained’. The force said a 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of administering a noxious substance, and had since been released on bail.
Sheffield Council said that Sheffield Coroner’s Office is carrying out an investigation into Ms Thornton’s death.
It added that internal reviews are carried out by the council into any incident like this to determine any areas of learning.
Sheffield Coroner’s Office said that an officer would be talking to Ms Thornton’s next of kin ‘in due course’ and that no further information could be given at this stage.
A fundraising appeal has been launched to help Ms Thornton’s family. To donate, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cotton-wool-keeley-Thornton.