A family grew concerned after a mum failed to comment on her daughter's Facebook photo - and burst into her home to find her dead.
In the days before Christmas in 2022, Katy Gough's family were becoming increasingly worried and had been unable to reach her through calls and texts. One of the main indicators that something wasn't right was her failure to comment on a picture of her daughter Lola after she met Santa the same day. Now desperate, the distraught loved ones made the decision to break into her home in Royton, Greater Manchester.
Tragically, their suspicions were confirmed when they found 32-year-old Katy unresponsive inside the property. Her mum Elaine Beech has now spoken out about the tragic day and the "wake of devastation" that resulted from her death.
“We went round and broke in and found her," Elaine told the Manchester Evening News. "She had the best life. For her to do what she did, she must have been so depressed.
“She had split up from her partner, but apart from that, to me she was just normal Katy. Even her sister Ashley didn’t know and they were so close. It just came as a complete shock. She kept it all to herself.”
Fondly known as the ‘Green Diva’ thanks to her love of all things green, Katy wore the colour every day and was even buried in a green coffin. Working at Revolucion de Cuba at Deansgate Locks at the time of her death, the bar created a Green Goddess cocktail in her memory and sent green roses to her family home.
“It was just her favourite colour,” Elaine continued. “Everywhere she went, she had green on. Her nails were painted green, she dressed in green, everything she wanted to do was green. I have no idea where it came from. All the accessories in her house were green. We got her a green coffin; she would have been happy with that.”
A fan of raves, festivals and dancing, Katy has been described as a “very funny” person who was loved by her family, friends and colleagues. Elaine says Katy’s young daughter Lola, who was just two at the time of her passing, is now starting to ask questions about how her mum died.
“Last week she wanted to know how her mummy died,” Elaine said. “She said, ‘Grandma, how did my mummy die?’ She says she wants her mummy whenever she sees pictures of Katy. We have photos all around the house. It was a devastating shock to her.”
On August 10, Katy’s friends decided to walk Scafell Pike to raise funds for Child Bereavement UK, an organisation which is currently supporting Lola, now aged four.y
Among those included Abby Morris, Lauren Lawton, Sadie Stevenson, Jannine Marsden, Emma Rowland, Michelle Bromley, Lisa Priest, Carrie McCabe, Vicky Barker and Cara Oldham.
Initially hoping to raise £1,000, the group ended up donating £3,150 to the organisation. “They did a fantastic walk up Scafell Pike in Katy’s memory,” Elaine added. “She didn’t realise how loved she was. They will never forget Katy – she was a diamond. She had all her life to live, and in one split moment, she did the wrong thing.”
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