A British mother and her 18-year-old daughter were found dead in their Nottinghamshire home on 21 May 2024. The inquest revealed that Alphonsine Djiako Leuga, 47, had called 999 on 2 February, pleading, *“Would you send an ambulance? Please come, please,”* but the call was mistakenly closed and no help arrived.

Leuga had sickle cell anaemia and struggled to care for her daughter, Loraine Choulla, who had Down syndrome and severe learning difficulties. *“She was entirely dependent on her mother,”* reports said. In January 2024, Leuga was discharged from hospital against medical advice to care for Loraine. She never returned.

The court heard Leuga had restricted access to support services and removed Loraine from school, fearing she’d be taken away. Her eldest daughter, Elvira, noted that despite tension, Leuga was *“very patient”* and *“loving”* with Loraine. She last saw them in November 2023, sharing a “lovely meal.”

A pathologist estimated they may have died *“weeks to months”* before discovery. Leuga died from pneumonia of uncertain cause; Loraine’s cause of death remains unconfirmed. The failed emergency response is under scrutiny by the East Midlands Ambulance Service.