Chloe Haynes’ pre-inquest review had initially been listed for later this week
19:31, 03 Jun 2025Updated 19:44, 03 Jun 2025
Chloe Haynes, 21, who died at the Adelphi Hotel on September 10, 2022
An investigation into the death of a “kind and caring” young woman who was crushed to death by a wardrobe in the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool city centre remains open almost three years later.
Chloe Haynes was found dead in her hotel room at the Britannia hotel in the early hours of September 10, 2022. Three men were arrested on suspicion of murder but released without charge when police concluded the death was accidental.
In the months that followed, an investigation was launched by Liverpool Council’s Environmental Health department, with sources telling the ECHO in 2023 how a criminal prosecution remained an option.
But when approached for an update into the investigation and whether or not criminal prosecution remains a possibility, the council said the investigation is ongoing and there is no timeframe on when the investigation may be concluded.
The update comes after a pre-inquest review into Ms Haynes’ death was pushed back after initially being listed with Liverpool Coroner’s Office for Thursday, June 5.
Chloe’s mum, Nicola Williams, said at the time of her daughter’s death she is determined to find every detail of how the “petite and beautiful” girl she nicknamed “birdy” died so strangely.
Chloe, who had a twin brother and three other siblings, had travelled to Liverpool from Hafan y Mor Haven Holiday Park in Pwllheli, North Wales, where she worked, for a night out. She was sharing a room at the city centre hotel with her colleague who found her body and raised the alarm.
Miss Williams, from Wrexham, told the ECHO: “Chloe left Pwllheli around 7.40pm and they went to the Adelphi, there was some sort of engagement party or something. By midnight, she had been drinking shots and so on and she was a bit drunk, so her friend has taken her back to the hotel to sleep it off and then he’s gone back out.
“It seems she has got up out of the bed confused, not knowing where she is, and she’s opened the door of the wardrobe maybe thinking it is the toilet or the door to go back out of the room. It was a big, old, heavy wardrobe and it’s fallen on her and crushed her windpipe.”
Miss Williams said Chloe’s friend returned to the room in the early hours of the morning and was confronted with the horrific scene. She said he shouted to get help and two men from other rooms came to help lift the wardrobe off Chloe but it was too late to save her life
It was those three men who were initially questioned over Chloe’s death by police. One of the men, Wayne Kenny from Bootle, told the ECHO how he was stunned to be arrested on suspicion of murder after trying to perform CPR on Chloe.
Shortly after Chloe died Mr Kenny told the ECHO: “I was thinking could I get accused for something I haven’t done, could they make a mistake? To be thinking that for 10 hours was hard work. “
Speaking about her loss, Miss Williams said: “She loved animals. She had a little dog called Archie she was obsessed with. There are so many photos of them together. My little nickname for her was birdy. She was so petite and little and when she ate she was like a little bird. She was quiet, she was somebody who didn’t speak unless it needed saying.
“But in the last 12 months she was coming out of her shell. She was gaining her confidence and she had a wide circle of friends. She was kind and caring and she seemed to connect with gay men and that was how she met the friend she went to Liverpool with.”
Following Chloe’s death, Liverpool Council carried out spot checks on the premises and on September 22, issued prohibition notices to Britannia Hotels regarding the safety of the wardrobes found in Chloe’s room.
The spot checks also found issues regarding the windows at the hotel. While not required by law, where window restrictors are in place to prevent falls, they must be kept in good condition.
Britannia appealed the notices regarding the safety of wardrobes and the council agreed to drop them after seeing evidence that work had been carried out to make them safe. The company dropped its appeal against the notice regarding windows and that was affirmed.