Charlotte Leader, 23, was found in her flat in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on August 6, 2025 (Picture: Facebook)
The remains of a ‘beautiful and talented’ woman were discovered in her flat a year after she died, when police made a welfare check.
23-year-old Charlotte Leader was found in her flat in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on August 6, 2025, an inquest was told.
Her mother, Chantay Simm, said that the family had not heard from Charlotte since September 2021. Despite searching for her, Ms Simm added that her daughter was ‘impossible to find’.
Neighbours also said they never saw the young woman leave her home.
Charlotte was discovered by police who were conducting a welfare check after property managing company Bolton at Home could not gain entry to the flat for a utility inspection.
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In a social media tribute, her family said: ‘Charlotte was a very beautiful and talented young woman.
‘Her many talents were playing the guitar and keyboard and she also had a love for art.
‘She was loved tremendously by the family and will be missed every day.’
A coroner said Charlotte’s flat was ‘immaculate’ when police investigated and that there was no evidence to suggest suicide.
Assistant coroner Stephen Teasdale told Bolton Coroner’s Court that the young woman had ‘suffered from mental health issues’, adding: ‘In time she becomes a stranger from the family, she pushes people away, and she disengages from the mental health services as well.’
Mr Teasdale said there were ‘no illicit drugs found at the scene’ and that nothing in Charlotte’s diaries would ‘suggest that as a problem’.
He also reported that she declined an appointment with mental health services in 2022 and that she had no further contact with them.
The 23-year-old’s sister, Caroline Calow, said that Charlotte was ‘actively trying to avoid contact’ and that she had a history of eating disorders, including bulimia, from ‘quite a young age’.
Inside the young woman’s flat, police discovered a ‘large volume of letters’ behind the front door and food in the fridge with sell-by dates of July 2024. They then found Charlotte’s body under her duvet.
The police investigations also found that the only conversations she had on her phone were with ChatGPT, which Charlotte had asked to help her.
The last message she wrote, dated July 30, 2024, said: ‘Help me, I’ve went and got food again.’
The AI chatbot responded: ‘You sound conflicted about having food.’
Charlotte replied: ‘It’s food that I didn’t want and that’s frustrating.’
Detective Inspector Paul Quinn said there were other messages in the same context and it appeared that Charlotte only exchanged messages with the AI service.
According to Dr Andrew Coates, a pathologist at Royal Bolton Hospital, it was difficult to examine Charlotte’s remains as she had become ‘mummified’. He added that it was ‘not unreasonable’ for this to take around a year to occur.
Mr Teasdale closed the inquest with an open conclusion, meaning there was insufficient evidence to determine a cause of death.
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