Kirsty Earnshaw, 37, of Chard, Somerset County, England, was looking forward to her wedding when a pre-wedding holiday to the island of St. Lucia with her mother, Lynn, turned tragic.
On August 3, 2021, Lynn found Kirsty floating face down in the hotel pool. An ambulance arrived, but Kirsty was pronounced dead shortly after at a local clinic, with drowning listed as the cause of death.
The inquest into Kirsty’s death, which took place on September 25, 2024, at Taunton Coroner’s Court in Somerset County, England, revealed that she was a strong swimmer. However, despite multiple requests, authorities in St. Lucia were unable to provide a toxicology report or other key details. Coroner Samantha Marsh conveyed her frustration over the limited cooperation from authorities in St. Lucia, describing the lack of assistance as disappointing.
Once Kirsty’s remains were brought back to the UK, medical professionals conducted an examination, but the embalming procedure reportedly affected the toxicology results.
A second post-mortem examination at Yeovil District Hospital hinted that she may have had an undiagnosed heart conduction issue that could cause irregular heartbeats. Another potentially contributing factor was her consumption of alcoholic beverages. She was a heavy drinker but had been drinking less recently.
Dr Edwin Cooper, who performed the evaluation, suggested that family members consider a screening with a cardiologist to check for any potential inherited issues.
Coroner Marsh shared her disappointment after three years of trying to gather evidence from St. Lucia. She mentioned that efforts were still underway just 48 hours before the hearing, stating, “Unfortunately, in three years, this is all we’ve been able to collect. I can only follow where the evidence leads, but in this case, it doesn’t lead me very far at all.”
As the inquest came to an end, Marsh expressed her regrets to the Earnshaw family for not being able to present more evidence but emphasized that it was important for the sake of justice to avoid any further delays in the proceedings.