A NINE-day-old baby has died after her parents spent the night taking drugs in a Newquay hotel room, an inquest has heard.

An inquest into the death of nine-day-old Darcey Maunder, has heard how she died in a room filled with alcohol and cocaine, consumed by her parents. On the night of November 10, 2023, Rochelle Thomas and Andrew Maunder, were in the Victoria Hotel in Newquay, where they had been staying following the birth of their daughter Darcey.

The court heard how this had been organised by Rochelle’s mother, Mrs Aves, in an effort to provide her with some rest before returning to Norfolk to stay with her.

However, on the morning of November 11, Mrs Aves attended Rochelle and Andrew’s room to find Darcey unconscious and unresponsive.

After calls to emergency services, specialist crews arrived and attempted resuscitation, which was unfortunately unsuccessful, with Darcey pronounced deceased.

Following Darcey’s death, a police investigation was carried out.

DC Swift from Devon and Cornwall Police told the court about the state of the pair’s ‘messy’ hotel room, which he described as having ‘clothes strewn’ across it, with empty alcohol bottles, along with numerous spots, including a baby’s dummy, covered with white powder.

Both Rochelle and Andrew subsequently tested positive for cocaine and cannabis.

Following Darcey’s death, a toxicology test was carried out and noted the presence of cocaine in her system. The court heard how this could have been as a result of breastmilk, inhalation, or a contaminated surface.

Forensic pathologist Dr Delaney, alongside paediatric specialist Dr Bamber noted that due to the lack of research surrounding the impact of cocaine on babies, it could not be said whether cocaine was more likely than not to have had an effect on Darcey’s death.

The court also heard that overlaying could have been a possible cause. As a result, Dr Delany recorded the cause of death as 1a: unascertained.

In his summary, senior coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Andrew Cox, explained that due to a lack of research into the effect of cocaine on newborns, the court could not be certain that this was the only cause.

He commented on how there was ‘insufficient’ evidence to fully explain Darcey’s death, and as a result, recorded an open conclusion.