A BARROW mum who 'saw the best in everything and everyone' accidentally drowned after having an epileptic seizure while taking a bath, an inquest heard. 

Nicholle Jones, 27, was pronounced dead by paramedics at her home on Napier Street at 11.41pm on July 3, 2023. 

Her boyfriend of eight months Ryan Maxwell called paramedics at 11.32pm after telling police he had entered Ms Jones’ property after she left the door unlocked for him to enter, only to find her unresponsive in the bathtub.  

Detective Inspector Laura Nield, of Cumbria Police, confirmed in a statement submitted to Cockermouth Coroners' Court that, according to a screenshot of a message between the pair, Ms Jones texted Mr Maxwell at 8.33pm saying she was going in the bath and would leave the door unlocked if he wanted to drop by. 

Mr Maxwell responded that he was going to watch a film and asked if she wanted to come over to his property, the hearing heard.

The next message found at 11.01pm was from Mr Maxwell to Ms Jones saying he was packing a bag and would come round - a message which Ms Jones appears never to have read, the hearing heard.

A statement submitted to the court by her mother Amanda Jones called her daughter’s relationship with Mr Maxwell ‘volatile’ but that Ms Jones had been at her house that day and was in a ‘very happy mood’.

She left at around 6pm in a taxi to clean her house for Mr Maxwell’s arrival, the statement said.

Glen Tubman, a neighbour of Ms Jones, submitted a statement to the court saying he had gone to bed at around 9.40pm that evening and that, as his bedroom was adjacent to Ms Jones’ next door, he would often hear her movements. 

He also stated he heard no ‘banging or slamming’ but could hear the boards creaking around her bathroom, in the direction of her bedroom. 

He said after around 30 minutes, the noise stopped. 

Ms Jones’ neighbour on the other side of her property, Jean Harris, said she had said she had a boyfriend who was a bodybuilder but had told her two weeks previously that they had split up. 

Ms Harris said at around 9.30pm she heard Ms Jones say: ‘I’m getting in the bath, the front door’s open, we’ll get a Chinese’. 

Assistant Coroner for Cumbria Robert Cohen said Ms Jones’ heart was healthy and normal with no sign of any heart attack or similar event. 

She was also referred to undergo a Home Office postmortem that offered a cause of death of drowning due to an epileptic seizure.

Ms Jones’ family raised concerns that the neighbours’ witness statements did not tally with Mr Maxwell’s account of the evening and that there was ‘blood all the way from the bed to the bathroom'.

In response, Mr Cohen quoted observations from the postmortem report, which said: “'The autopsy identifies a number of injuries to the body.  

“There was a bruise to the right breast and an abrasion to the right arm, an abrasion to the left hand and bruises and abrasions to both legs and a bruise to the right buttock. 

“These were all due to trivial blunt impact trauma.  

“They played no part in the fatal outcome. 

“Perhaps some could have occurred during the fit, and some could have been pre-dated.  

“There was no evidence to support the view that Nicholle had been the victim of an assault.  

“There was no evidence of head injury, no evidence of manual and ligature strangulation, or any evidence to support the view she had been suffocated.” 

Mr Cohen concluded that Ms Jones’ death was accidental. 

He said: “It’s very clear to me that whatever else can be said about Nicholle’s life, she was a very-much-loved person, a vital part of her family, and I’m sure she leaves a great gap in their lives.” 

Her mum said: “She always had a smile, and saw the best in everything and everyone. Nicholle was very much loved by all her family.”