A WOMAN who was last seen getting ready to go out was found dead in the foetal position by her friend the next morning, an inquest heard.

Tracie Longson was found by her friend Edward Fox in a house she was staying in May this year.

Blackburn’s Coroner’s Court heard the 40-year-old had lived a ‘chaotic lifestyle’ and had previously suffered from addictions to alcohol and drugs.

The inquest heard Ms Longson, from Accrington, had been at Mr Fox’s house on May 5 and Mr Fox had discovered she had taken anxiety drug pregabalin and other medication which made her drowsy.

Mr Fox said: “All this time she was getting ready to go out.

“She was in the process of doing her hair.

“I said ‘that’s silly’ because you don’t take meds and then go out.

“She carried on and I thought I will see her during the week.”

The hearing was told Ms Longson stayed at Mr Fox’s as a base, and only slept over roughly two nights a week.

Mr Fox said: “The next day I got up and I saw Tracie, she was lying as if she had been looking for something, but she was lying down.

“She was in the same clothes that I saw her in (the night before)

“She was getting ready, but she had not gone out.”

Tests found methadone, pregablin, diazepam, which all slow breathing and the heart rate.

Coroner James Newman said the substances found in Ms Longson’s body were not at a fatal level.

Mr Newman said: “The difficulty with substances like this is that it is not a case of one plus one equals two times the effect.

“They join together and multiply together, it’s very difficult to know how bad of an effect they can have on the body.”

The toxicology report gave a medical cause of death of combined drug toxicity.

The hearing heard Ms Longson had previously battled with OCD, anxiety and depression.

A statement from Ms Longso’s daughter Leighnikita said around 13 years ago she started becoming involved with alcohol and began her chaotic lifestyle.

He said: “In 2014 she started to try to bring herself together.

“She tried to control that lifestyle.

“While that started well it then deteriorated.”

The hearing heard Ms Longson had spoke to her daughter in the past about her funeral arrangements and Leighnikita was concerned for her mother when they spoke for the last time.

She said: “She rang me and the only words said were ‘I love you’ – she never said that.

“I think (her death) was a deliberate act.”

PC Jodie Yates, who was called to the house, said no signs of a struggle were found at the house and no note.

During his conclusion, Mr Newman said Ms Longson, of Water Street, Accrington, had died due to the combined effects of a number of medications.

He said: “I cannot say whether it was deliberate or misadventure. I can’t discount she did it deliberately.

“The issue is putting myself in Tracie’s mind, that’s an impossibility. I hope Tracie is in a better place. I don’t believe she suffered.”