Mystery of woman's death at 30

Sabrina Sambrook, 30, was found collapsed her room at the hostel where she lived in Barnsley last October and attempts by paramedics to revive her failed.

A post mortem examination did not find any reason for her death and Barnsley Hospital pathologist Dr Steven Beck said the cause was unexplained adult death syndrome.

He is part of a network of medical experts working to try to find the causes of the condition, which is rare, and told the hearing medical advances meant that an increasing number of sudden adult deaths could be explained.

However, in the case of Miss Sambrook that was not possible he said.

"All in all, this lady's death falls into the category of sudden adult death syndrome," he said.

"There are a very small number each year where the cause cannot be found and it remains open as to what the cause was.

"I am part of a network of pathologists involved in trying to unravel these causes in younger people.

"No specific disease process and no unnatural condition have been identified, so it remains in a group of conditions unknown at present."

He told Miss Sambrook's family: "It must seem very unsatisfactory to you and I apologise for that.

"The numbers are getting smaller and smaller all the time because new causes and routes are being identified.

"Some things are inherited and people can be advised, but in this case I cannot see anything about that," he said.

The hearing was told Miss Sambrook was found collapsed on the floor of her room on October 20 last year, after returning there to sleep.

Hostel staff had knocked on the door at 3.45pm and got no response, then returned and tried again at 4pm. Her pet dog was barking but that was vicious and they called in a dog walker to control it before opening the door with a pass key.

They found her at the side of her bed and called an ambulance, but paramedics were unable to revive her.

Although Miss Sambrook had a history of self harming which went back to childhood, medical opinion was that she did not intend to take her life by her actions, though doctors feared she might accidentally do so.

Assistant deputy coroner David Urpeth recorded a verdict of natural causes but also questioned hostel manager Julie Hirst over the procedures for checking on residents who did not respond to staff.

The manager had been unable to explain why staff waited 15 minutes before trying to raise Miss Sambrook a second time and in his summing up Mr Urpeth said: "I am told the policy is to enter the room if you don't get a response. Well, that didn't happen.

"I asked why staff didn't take action at 3.45pm and the witness didn't know. Not surprisingly, that causes me a little concern."

Mr Urpeth stressed that the events surrounding Miss Sambrook's final hours had no influence on her death, but added that his concern was to make sure potential problems were avoided in future.

One option was to send a formal letter to the hostel raising concerns about the procedures for checking on residents, but instead he told the hostel's owners he was content that they should re-examine their procedures so that residents were checked if there was no response.

"Although it has made no difference in this case, it could make a difference in a cardiac situation," he said.

Mr Urpeth was assured that such procedures would "be reviewed and implemented" at the premises.