‘One-of-a-kind’ mother-of-three, 42, was found dead in bed by her new boyfriend hours after she invited him over to celebrate her birthday
- Cheryl Morris invited Alan Bonkem to stay at her home in Warrrington, Cheshire
- He woke up the following morning to find his new girlfriend dead beside him
- Pathologist is unable to determine the precise cause of death, inquest heard
Cheryl Morris (pictured) died in her sleep aged 42 while sharing a bed with her new boyfriend
A man woke up to find his new girlfriend dead beside him after he had stayed over to celebrate the mother-of-three’s birthday.
Cheryl Morris, 42, had told a friend of her excitement at 35-year-old Alan Bonkem attending her family home in Warrington.
But early the next day the care worker died in her sleep after Mr Bonkem spent the evening with her.
He made the tragic discovery when his alarm went off at 7am for work and he found her lying dead beside him.
Paramedics arrived at Miss Morris’ home in Warrington, Cheshire, but she could not be revived.
Miss Morris had been poorly the afternoon before her death – but tests showed no signs of a heart attack or organ failure and the cause of death is unknown.
The tragedy occurred last March 26 a month after Miss Morris – who had two sons, aged 18 and nine, as well as a six-year-old daughter – began dating Mr Bonkem after she split up with her children’s father in 2016.
Mr Bonkem, a cleaner, told the Warrington inquest: ‘We had good days and bad days like any relationship. On Sunday March 25 I was working and had arranged to go and see Cheryl afterwards. I stayed with her until the next day at around 3pm in the afternoon.
Mr Bonkem (pictured with Miss Morris) awoke to find the mother-of-three dead in the bed beside him after spending the night
‘During that time Cheryl was feeling unwell and had been vomiting. She was in the toilet quite a lot and she didn’t say about seeking any medical help. I cam back me back about 7pm and we spent the evening together.
‘We went to bed about 10pm and stayed awake until shortly after midnight. She was fine at that time. In the middle of the night, I woke up and Cheryl was awake too and again she seemed alright.
‘But at 7am in the morning, by looking at her I could immediately realise that something was very badly wrong with her. I tried to wake her and get a response, shaking her and calling her name but there was no response. I called 999 and asked an ambulance to attend and attempted to resuscitate Cheryl.’
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Helen Murphy, a friend of Miss Morris for ten years, told the hearing in a statement: ‘On 26 March I was with Cheryl for about half an hour, hearing about how excited she was about Alan coming round later that evening.
‘I called round later on but saw he was there so I decided not to disturb them. The following morning I got a text message saying Cheryl had passed away.’
Miss Morris’ mother June added: ‘She had ups and downs in life, good times and difficult times. Her life was short lived but she was a lovely person and everyone who knew her loved her.’
Mr Bonkem (left) had gone to Miss Morris’ house to celebrate her birthday – but awoke to find her dead body beside him
The hearing was told Miss Morris last saw a doctor in 2017 for a skin infection and had no illnesses which could be connected to her death. Tests found a low level of alcohol in Miss Morris’ bloodstream and police said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Pathologist Dr Catherine Manson said: ‘There was no evidence of a heart attack and no abnormalities or significant findings in any of the organ systems.
‘I’m not able to ascertain the cause of Cheryl’s death even on the balance of probabilities I don’t have any evidence of an unnatural cause of death so it is likely to be natural.’
Recording a conclusion of death by natural causes coroner Peter Sigee said: ‘During the day before her death, Cheryl had been vomiting but at that time neither he or Cheryl had any concerns.
‘He had spent the evening with Cheryl on her birthday. They had gone to bed about 10pm and gone to sleep shortly after midnight. He describes waking up in the night being hot and said Cheryl had also woken up and appeared to be in good health. He had no concerns for her condition.
‘His alarm went off at about 7am and he immediately appreciated something was very wrong with Cheryl so he called the emergency services and attempted to resuscitate Cheryl without success.
‘Police officers have assured me that there is no evidence of any suspicious circumstances or any third party involvement. The only positive finding in toxicology tests was a small amount of alcohol in her blood.
‘The pathologist was not able to identify the precise medical cause of Cheryl’s death, however she did tell me that it is likely that her death was due to natural causes.
‘It has not been possible to determine the cause of Cheryl’s death. I find that she died peacefully in her sleep at her home, I found that it has not been possible to ascertain the medical cause of death but on the balance of probabilities this was a natural death.’
Following the tragedy Miss Morris’ children had faced being evicted from their housing association property as she was the sole named tenant on the house but they were allowed to stay after an online petition raised 4,000 signatures.
Her ex-partner Paul Lewis, a furniture fitter who is now looking after the children said at the time: ‘Cheryl was full of life, and had a lot to say. She was one-of-a-kind, a loving, caring mother. She had a lot of friends, and everybody was really upset hearing the news – it is just so sad.’
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