'Free spirit' anthropology student, 21, was found dead in hotel room bath after consuming two bottles of Prosecco and cocaine, inquest hears

  • Amber Lyssis checked into hotel during night the city in February last year
  • She failed to check out and police later found her dead in the bathroom
  • Her mother tells inquest she was happy with life at the time and enjoying studies
  • Coroner records open verdict after hearing family had history of heart problems 

By Richard Spillett for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

An anthropology student was tragically found dead in the bathroom of her hotel room after drinking two bottles of Prosecco and taking cocaine, an inquest heard.

Amber Lyssis, 21, was heard playing loud music after checking into Stay City Apartments in Manchester on February 22 last year, having bought drugs two days earlier.

The following day she failed to check out and, after gaining access to her room, found her dead in the shower. Two empty bottles of Prosecco and remnants of white powder were found on a glass table. An empty 'baggy' and a full one were nearby.

Coroner Fiona Borrill recorded an open verdict after hearing Amber was excited about the future and enjoying her university course.

Amber Lyssis tragically died in a hotel room after drinking Prosecco and taking cocaine

Amber Lyssis tragically died in a hotel room after drinking Prosecco and taking cocaine

Amber's mother Lucky Rutland, from Barnet, north London, said: 'We had an hour and forty minute conversation a few days before and she was just telling me everything about her life. She had started field work in her anthropology course.

'She had just met up with a priest and she had interviewed a nun. She had rung me just before she was going to interview another nun and she was so excited. She was very keen on her anthropology course. We were very close.

'The last conversation we had she was saying how excited she was about life and her future. She was in a really good place. She was never depressed, she was a happy human being. She was looking forward to the future.'

Ms Rutland said her daughter did use drugs off and on in her life, but was very studious, often studying through the night.

The family has a history of heart disease and her brother is now being tested for it, the coroner was told.

A toxicology report showed she had taken cocaine and alcohol, but did not have a particularly dangerous level of either in her body.

Amber's mother said she was happy shortly before her death and looking forward to the future
Amber's mother said she was happy shortly before her death and looking forward to the future

 Amber's mother said she was happy shortly before her death and looking forward to the future

Police Coroner's Officer Ian Taylor said: 'There was no suggestion she had been in an altercation. We concluded there were no suspicious circumstances and no third party involvement.

'The last message that was sent as an outgoing message at 17.47 was on 22nd February.'

He added: 'Evidence on her mobile phone showed she had previously bought drugs over the few months and even recently in February 20th, she'd made an attempt to purchase drugs. 

Recording an open conclusion, Coroner Fiona Borrill said: 'This was an absolute tragedy. I'm considering probability rather then possibility.

'It's entirely unclear whether she had her foot over the plug hole. There were two cans of squirt cream on the table, also used for laughing gas.'

Police found her dead in the bathroom of Stay City Apartments in central Manchester

Police found her dead in the bathroom of Stay City Apartments in central Manchester

The coroner continued: 'She had drunk a significant amount of alcohol. There were two empty bottles of Prosecco in the room. There was a consumption of alcohol and cocaine before her death. I am not clear what the sequence of events was in this case.

'Her brother is undergoing cardiac investigations at present. Whilst there was no cardiac distress present at post mortem, it cannot always be detected.

'Amber was only 21 at the time of her death. I have heard from her mum that she loved life, she was a free spirit and excited about the future corroborated from the hours of conversations she had with her. 

'This was a sudden and very tragic death and I offer my condolences and sincere sympathies to you in these awful circumstances.'

Following her death, friends ran the YMCA run to raise money for the organisation. 

Cocaine use doubles in seven years as one in 50 Londoners snorts drug 

The use of cocaine in Britain has doubled in seven years, as one in 50 Londoners currently snorts the drug daily.

An analysis of Britain's waste water, carried out by forensic scientists at King's College London, has also proved that the purity of the class A drug has gone up, hitting a record high.

Tests of the drug in sewage show Londoners are taking almost 200,000 doses of cocaine every day, which amounts to about £700,000. 

Concentrations in waste water are 900 milligrams per 1,000 of the population per day, which rose from 392 milligrams per 1,000 in 2011.

The average cocaine dose through smoking or snorting is 40 milligrams, meaning that, in a population of nine million people, one in 50 is taking the class A drug on a daily basis.

The research also found out that the use of cocaine in London is almost as high during weekdays as it is at the weekend.

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