Months before Nottingham Police discovered her dead body alongside that of her teenage daughter last year, Alphonsine Djiako Leuga made a devastating confession.
The 47-year-old British mum was found at her home in the town of Radford on 21 May 2024, with police breaking into the property after concerns about her welfare were raised.
Her disabled daughter Loraine Choulla, 18 - who had a series of severe learning difficulties, as well as Down Syndrome - was tragically found nearby.
An inquest into the pair's death is ongoing this week, after the Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Coroner’s Service revealed that they'd called for an ambulance on 2 February but it never arrived.
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During the inquiry, court attendees heard that Leuga - who suffered from sickle cell anaemia - had gotten in touch with the emergency services, claiming she needed help with her teenage daughter, who was 'entirely dependent' on her.
She told the call handler at the time that, due to her condition, she'd been left cold and unable to move, as per The Guardian.
Susan Jevons, the head of patient safety at the East Midlands Ambulance Service, claimed in court this week that the dispatcher in question had attempted to call Leuga back after the call ended.
"The ambulance didn’t go to the address because the emergency medical adviser, thinking it was an abandoned call, closed the call down," Jevons added.
Locals to the area have also spoken out on the heartbreaking case, claiming Leuga had asked for help feeding her child in the months prior to their deaths.
Jeya Bavanantharajah, who works at a food and wine shop in the area, recalled the mum asking him if she'd be able to buy some food on credit, admitting they had nothing left at their property.
"She asked me if she could have a couple of frozen pizzas on credit," he told The Guardian.
"She brought the money back two weeks later, it was £2 or £3."
A butcher and grocery shop worker, Babatunde, also told press that Leuga had admitted to him in December that she was unable to heat her house prior to her death, having been left unable to pay her heating bill.
Babatunde added that, when he'd last seen her in February, her face was 'swollen' and she'd complained about the ceaseless cold.
That same month, she'd called an ambulance to the property, with the BBC reporting that she told the dispatcher: "Would you send an ambulance? Please come, please."
In January, Leuga had been treated in hospital for a lower respiratory tract infection, after which she was granted a 'pragmatic discharge' on the basis of returning home to Choulla.
When the mum failed to return to the medical facility the following day, despite advice from staff to do so, attempts were made to contact her.
Sadly, however, these calls were made to no avail.
A letter written by Leuga's eldest daughter, Elvira Choulla - who moved out of the family home in 2022 - was read in court this week.
In it, she claimed the last time she'd seen her mother and sister was in November 2023, during which they enjoyed a 'lovely meal'.
In early 2024, Elvira came by the property to visit, but claims Leuga's home was 'in darkness and there were no signs of life'. She also claimed that the gas had been switched off.
After a neighbour claimed to have seen the mother and daughter in February, however, the eldest child opted not to report them missing.
In May, Elvira received the call that they'd been found dead inside the home.
