Mum, 21, dies at home while battling chest infection

News.com.au

07-05-2025

A young mum has died at home after inhaling laughing gas while battling a chest infection, an inquest was told.
Kira Booth was discovered in her flat in Burnley, England, by a support worker in November after she went silent on social media for 24 hours.
An inquest into the 21-year-old's death heard a large number of nitrous oxide containers were found at her home.
Two were discovered near her bed and sofa, while a further 18 were packaged up ready to be thrown out.
Police also found two small bags that may have contained cocaine at the flat.
A post mortem showed there was no trauma related to Kira's cause of death.
While toxicology revealed recent cocaine use, nitrous oxide could not be detected as it leaves the body upon death.
The court was told Kira had been struggling with a chest infection at the time of her death.
Her family said she left home through her own choice at a young age, but regularly kept in touch with her five siblings and her parents.
They described her as a 'very kind and generous' person who was active in a lot of sports such as swimming, gymnastics, football, and dancing.
The family were not aware Kira had been taking drugs at first and later believed it was just recreational.
Mum Carla Booth said her daughter had struggled with her mental health after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
Kira had been sectioned a number of times and had lived in a mother and baby unit before moving into her own home.
Her baby was taken away last July after she told a social worker she had been hearing voices.
Kira was granted access two to three times a week, the court heard.
Coroner Kate Bisset recorded a conclusion of misadventure, saying: 'Kira Booth died on November 12, 2024, at her home address, having consumed nitrous oxide while suffering with a chest infection.'
The coroner said Kira had a 'strong will to live' and that her records showed she 'worked through her difficulties.'
She said: 'Kira wasn't someone who had given up on normal life and was engaging in all sorts of drugs.
'She was someone who managed her problems by having a positive time experimenting with substances. She was not a habitual user.'