A MUM may have killed her toddler daughters before taking her own life at their family home, an inquest heard.
Little Darcey Stevens, one, and Casey-Lea Taylor, three, were found dead alongside their mum Tiffany Stevens, 27, at their home in Little Lever, Bolton.
2
Tiffany Stevens, 27, may have killed her two kids before taking her own life, an inquest heard Credit: MEN Media 2
The young mum and her two daughters were found dead in Bolton in 2019 Credit: MEN Media
After the bodies were found on January 21, 2019, Greater Manchester Police said they were treating the youngster's deaths as murder, while Tiffany's death was not treated as suspicious.
At Bolton Coroners Court today, a pre-inquest review was told: "Evidence suggests that Tiffany may have ended the lives of Darcey and Casey-Lea."
Assistant coroner Peter Sigee said he may have to consider conclusions of "unlawful killing" for Darcey and Casey-Lea and "suicide" for their mum, Manchester Evening News reports.
“I’m going to have to consider whether Tiffany had capacity at the time of Darcey and Casey Lea ingesting the substances that caused their death," he told the hearing.
“If she did have capacity and administer substances that caused the children’s deaths, I would have to consider whether the two children were unlawfully killed.
“This is one of the saddest cases that I have had to consider and deal with in my time as coroner.”
Most read in The Sun
LAST CALL Mum screamed ‘fire’ in final call to husband as blaze killed her, 2 kids & gran
STAR REPLACEMENT Strictly reveals Covid-stricken Craig's replacement as judge tomorrow
Exclusive
RACE SHAME England cricket ace Alex Hales pictured in blackface 'in tribute to Tupac'
DUCH COURAGE Meghan Markle shows true feelings about royal title, says body language expert
EGG-CITING Archie feeds chickens in jeans and a cute basket in previously unseen footage
'I'M GONNA POP' Gavin & Stacey's Joanna Page shows off HUGE baby bump days before birth
A two-day inquest has been scheduled to begin on January 6.
Mr Sigee added: "My preliminary view that these deaths are so linked that it is sensible for all three inquests to be heard at the same time."
Darcey and Casey-Lea's dads paid touching tributes to their daughters following their tragic deaths.
Liam Taylor, Casey-Lea's dad, said: "Casey-Lea was a beautiful little girl who was deeply loved by many and will be sadly missed by a lot of people."
And Darcey's dad Gary Eden said: "I will love and miss Darcey forever.
"She will always live on through me."
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact The Samaritans on 116 123. They are available for free at anytime. Or email https://www.samaritans.org/
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others... You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858 Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393 Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41 Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123 Movember, www.uk.movember.com Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk, 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm