Yorkshire mother killed 10-year-old son before taking her own life, inquest hears

The bodies of Adalia Baptisa, 30, and her son Frederico Baptisa-Mendes were found in a decomposed state in their council flat in the Holbeck area of Leeds in September last year, Wakefield Coroner's Court heard on Friday (Dec 8).

Frederico's school raised the alarm with police after he failed to return to school after the summer break despite a 100% attendance record the previous year. The court heard how analysis of the pair's mobile phones showed they were last used in late July and coroner Oliver Longstaff read statements which suggested this was probably the time at which they died.

Mr Longstaff read a statement from Muneer Hussain, a taxi driver who took Frederico to Richmond Hill Primary School every day, and who had become concerned about getting no reply form the flat in early September.

Mr Hussain said he knew the youngster as Freddie and said: "He was a very cheerful child and was always ready to go."

He said he "was always smiling" and loved "wearing hats" and Super Mario.

The coroner heard how Ms Baptisa and Frederico were Portuguese, although she was born in Angola, and they came to the UK about 10 years before their deaths. Frederico was diagnosed with autism in 2019 and joined Richmond Hill Primary, which specialises in helping children with complex communication difficulties, the same year.

Detective Inspector Suzanne Hall said in a statement read to the court: "Adalia struggled to come to terms with that diagnosis."

The court heard how there was evidence from Ms Baptisa's computer that she had accessed numerous websites about euthanasia and related topics.

Her father, who lives in Portugal, said in a statement that his daughter "appeared to be stressed" and had been looking at "dangerous" websites.

Ms Hall said in her statement: "I'm satisfied there was no third party involvement in the deaths."

She said it appeared Ms Baptisa's actions "had been planned for a while" and that "Frederico was killed by his mother".

The coroner recorded conclusions that Frederico was unlawfully killed and Ms Baptisa died as a result of suicide.