The family of a young mother who died suddenly have slammed Facebook trolls who spread false stories that she had been raped, stabbed and even murdered.
An inquest heard 24-year-old Helen Silvester – a devoted mother to Joshua, six and 22-month-old Jacob – collapsed and died of natural causes in the bedroom of her home in Outwood, Wakefield, last October.
The court heard Jacob may have had been sleeping by his mother’s side and probably saw her collapse in the night last October 12.
The alarm was raised the next morning by Miss Silvester’s boyfriend Alex Ramsden when he arrived at the house.
After the hearing, Miss Silvester’s family said on the day of the tragedy rumours started to appear on Facebook.
Miss Silvester’s aunt Lynne Chester said: “They said she had fallen down stairs, she had been raped, she had been strangled. As a family you can imagine how that hurt. We know she was a loving mother. She adored those two boys.”
Mrs Chester added: “There should be some sort of regulation.”
Miss Silvester’s eldest sister Samantha Orange, 36, said: “My sister was the most loving daughter, sister and auntie. She was a pleasure to have in our lives.
“Facebook is nasty, it’s malicious, it’s used by people to spread vile rumours.”
The Wakefield inquest heard a post mortem could not pinpoint a cause of death despite extensive investigations. There was a history of heart problems in Miss Silvester’s family and she had previously complained her heart was beating irregularly.
Det Cons Kaye Wroe, of Wakefield CID, said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Recording a verdict of death by natural causes, Deputy Coroner Melanie Williamson said: “It seems to me that there is a clear heart related cause of death. In this case it is imperative that the two boys are checked out.”