Woman who met addict on Plenty of Fish dating site died of overdose

A 30 year old woman who struck up a relationship with a man she met online died in his apartment three months later.

Mairead Kelly of The Grove, Athy, Co Kildare was pronounced dead on May 4 2015. She’d met Greg Ward, from Lucan on the Plenty of Fish dating website, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard. Mr Ward, a heroin addict, said she was aware of his drug use at an early stage and confronted him about it.

“She encouraged me to detox and said she would help me in any way she could,” Mr Ward said.

Miss Kelly was staying overnight at Mr Ward’s house on May 3 2015 because she was distressed and agitated over ‘something in her past,’ according to Mr Ward. She’d received a written note through her door at her home in Athy during the week, he said. She was distressed that night and drinking vodka unusually quickly, Mr Ward said.

“She kept repeating ‘he will get me in the end,’” Mr Ward said. He woke up later that night and noticed Miss Kelly was not in bed. He heard a noise from the living room where he found her in a collapsed state. He told paramedics and Gardai that she may have taken some of his heroin which he had left in a bag on the counter.

Acting on his information, paramedics administered the opiate antidote narcem. Miss Kelly was rushed to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown where she was pronounced dead the following day.

The cause of death was pneumonia due to intoxication of morphine and alcohol, according to pathologist Dr Michael Curtis. The morphine and alcohol in her system had a combined effect on her central nervous system and she developed pneumonia due to a repressed gag reflex, the court heard.

There was no established link between the morphine and Mr Ward's heroin, as morphine can 'arise from many sources' Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said. Dr Cullinane returned a verdict of misadventure.

Solicitor for the family, Fionán O'Muircheartaigh's said the Kelly's were a close and loving family and that Mairead was very much against drugs.

“This is illustrated by her efforts to wean him off drugs,” Mr O’Muircheartaigh said.