Charlotte Leader, 23, had only messaged ChatGPT before her death as neighbours said they never saw her leave home
Charlotte Leader(Image: Facebook)
The remains of a ‘beautiful and talented’ woman were found in her flat a year after she died.
An inquest heard that Charlotte Leader was found dead at her home in on Newbury Walk, in Bolton.
She was discovered during a police welfare check on August 6 this year, but Bolton coroner’s court heard evidence suggesting she had died in summer 2024.
Charlotte’s family had not heard from her since September 2021, mum Chantay Simm told the inquest, while police said the only messages they found on her phone were to ChatGPT.
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She told the court that Charlotte had been ‘impossible to find’ following search attempts, while neighbours said they never saw her leave her home.
Charlotte’s family paid tribute to her in a moving post on social media, the Mirror reports.
They 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.
Charlotte Leader(Image: Facebook)
“She was loved tremendously by the family and will be missed every day.”
Assistant Coroner Stephen Teasdale told the court that Charlotte 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 Charlotte had declined a mental health appointment in 2022 and had no further contact with services.
He also confirmed that there were ‘no illicit drugs found at the scene’ and that her diaries contained nothing to ‘suggest that as a problem’.
Charlotte’s sister, Caroline Calow, said the 23-year-old had a history of eating disorders, including bulimia, from a young age.
She added that the flat contained ‘absolutely no medication’, but stated that the property looked like it belonged to ‘someone who cared’ rather than ‘the flat of someone who had given up’.
Police found a ‘large volume of letters’ behind the front door and food in the fridge with sell-by dates of July 2024. Charlotte’s body was later discovered under her duvet.
Detective Inspector Paul Quinn said the flat was ‘sparsely furnished’ and ‘immaculately clean’, and that investigators found ‘no suggestion she intended to take her life, or anything to suggest she would do anything untoward’.
He said that boxes of a detox cleanser were also found.
DI Quinn told the court that the only conversations on Charlotte’s phone were with ChatGPT, which she had asked for help about getting food she ‘didn’t want’ in her last message on July 30, 2024.
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DI Quinn said: “There were others all in the same context – there’s no conversations with anybody, her only contact was with ChatGPT.”
Dr Andrew Coates, a pathologist at Royal Bolton Hospital, said examining Charlotte’s remains was ‘difficult’ as she had become ‘mummified’, which he added was ‘not unreasonable’ to occur over a year.
Mr Teasdale concluded the inquest with an open verdict, meaning there was insufficient evidence to determine the cause of death.