Woman, 20, faced death threats and trolling before taking her own life

A 20-year-old woman had received death threats and online abuse only a few days before taking her own life.

Rio-Anne Katie Jane Dickinson, from Ferryhill in County Durham, was found dead in woodlands by a dog walker on June 26.

Dickinson and her former partner Hannah Wilkinson had only four days prior, on June 22, pleaded guilty to five counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals, ChronicleLive reports.

She was due to be sentenced on July 21 but tragically took her own life prior to the hearing.

At the inquest into her death, the court heard that Rio had last been seen by her family on June 25, the day before she died and "seemed very happy and bubbly".

However, it was acknowledged that she had been going through a "tough time" but "seemed to have dealt with it".

Discussing the court case, Mr Hamilton said: "There had been nasty comments on Facebook. I'm told she actually got death threats on Snapchat, but seemed to cope with it alright and didn't take much notice of them."

A statement from her GP, Dr Norbert Dielehner, acknowledged that Rio had received treatment following a suspected overdose in March this year and had been in contact with child and adolescent mental health services, but had been discharged.

She was also reported to have said that she "felt her life had been ruined by the Covid pandemic".

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A statement from mental health services stated she had "impulsively" taken the overdose rather than "with any suicidal thoughts or attempt to take her life".

It went on to say Rio had no diagnosis of mental health issues and was discharged following the incident.

The court heard that after seeing her family on June 25, Rio had a minor disagreement with her new partner and left her address.

An investigation by the Durham Constabulary found "no evidence of anybody else being involved" while a post-mortem examination found a low level of alcohol in her system that "would not have affected her decision-making process."

As a result of the evidence, assistant coroner Hamilton recorded a conclusion of suicide.

He said: "Here is a young woman who had some issues in her life. I need to answer the question – did the person take their own life? It's very clear here that Rio did.

"I record a conclusion of suicide. That is never easy for a family and loved ones to hear. There is nothing I can say in the circumstances when somebody takes their own life by suicide – it leaves a huge number of questions and it frustrates me as a coroner that we cannot answer those questions.

"All I can do as a coroner is offer my condolences."

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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