The mother-of-two was found dead a month after she was last seen by neighbours (Image: Facebook)
The neighbour of a woman who was partially eaten by her has described one of the canines as “vicious”. Dog lover Jemma Hart, 45, was found dead in last January when neighbours raised the alarm after not seeing her for around a month. Authorities discovered her alongside one of her pet sausage dogs while the other was in a “distressed condition”, according to coroner Ian Singleton, during an at Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner’s Court.
The court also heard that the dogs had been feeding off their owner’s remains before her body was discovered. “She’d had dogs in the past, but in 2022, she got a dachshund called Frankie, and a year later, she got another one called Millie,” the mother-of-two’s son said, as quoted in The Mirror. “Her house backed onto Lydiard Park, where she regularly walked [them] and the dogs were her life,” he added.
Don’t miss…
Ms Hart was estranged from her family, an inquest heard (Image: Facebook)
The 45-year-old’s death was confirmed as suicide by a toxicologist report, which stated that Ms Hart “lived alone with her two dogs … and was estranged from her family”.
She reportedly struggled with health and mobility issues, which made her unable to work. A neighbour, who asked police to carry out a welfare check after not seeing her since Christmas, described her as a “troubled soul”.
They added that Ms Hart had intended to breed her two dogs and sell the puppies – despite one of them being “vicious”. “The brown one, Milly, was still a puppy [and] was a lovely dog,” the neighbour – identified as Lorraine – told MailOnline.
“But the black one, Frankie, was vicious,” she added. “He didn’t like people or other dogs.”
One of the dogs was found dead alongside the 45-year-old (Image: Facebook)
“It was the dogs that caused me to go round there,” Lorraine added. “I knocked on the door because I could hear the dogs barking but there was no answer. So, I tried the key she had given me but I couldn’t unlock the door because there was a key on the inside of the lock.
“I went home and I ummed and ahhed. Then I thought I’ll ask the police to make a welfare check. And that’s when they found her.”
The inquest also heard that the 45-year-old had lived at the address for around 10 years and was known to the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health team, but had not been in contact with them for years before her death.
The Samaritans can be reached round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.If you need a response immediately, it’s best to call them on the phone. You can reach them by calling 116 123, by emailing or by visiting