Toddler, 3, found home alone in Mow Cop after Avon saleswoman mum died — (Stoke Sentinal)

Sarah King may have been lying on the floor of the property in Chapel Street, Mow Cop, for up to two days before her body was discovered, an inquest heard yesterday.

Her boyfriend Gary Eastell had gone round to the house after becoming concerned when she didn’t respond to his text messages.

He arrived to find the door unlocked and walked inside, where he spotted 40-year-old Ms King and called the emergency services.

Sarah’s young daughter was also in the house, although it was unclear if she knew what had happened to her mum.

Mr Eastell said: “The home was a mess. But that was because she was fending for herself. She had got food in the room. Sarah was normally spotless.”

At yesterday’s hearing in Macclesfield it emerged that Ms King, who worked as an Avon saleswoman, had a long history of depression. She had received psychiatric support for several bouts of the illness, dating back to the 1990s.

Ms King, who was separated from her child’s father, last spoke to friends and family on May 6 this year, two days before she was discovered. Mr Eastell said: “It was a Bank Holiday Monday. We had a nice day and walked by the canal. She seemed OK.”

That evening, he received a text from her. “She wanted me to tell her that I loved her,” he recalled.

But he went to sleep and decided to reply the next day. When he didn’t hear back, he initially thought she was just ‘in a bad mood’.

Ms King’s sister Hilary Coles and father Peter Austin had also been repeatedly trying to reach her and had grown worried.

Mr Austin, who was staying at Hilary’s house in Cornwall, called a friend to ask if they could check she was all right. By then, the emergency services were already at Chapel Street.

Mr Austin, from Congleton, said: “At about 10.50pm, my mobile phone rang. It was the police telling me what they had found.”

A post-mortem examination revealed she had died from drugs toxicity linked to an anti-depressant.

The inquest heard how Ms King had also been experiencing financial problems and was worried about becoming homeless.

Detective Sergeant Jim Boulton said the police investigation concluded there were no suspicious circumstances or third parties involved.

Recording a verdict of misadventure, Cheshire’s deputy coroner Jean Harkin said: “I’m satisfied that she took the tablets. But I’m not satisfied she intended to end her life.

“On the balance of probability, she took the tablets, perhaps after an argument, meaning to frighten rather than take her life.”