‘Bubbly’ Peterborough mum died at home after partner found her unresponsive in bed

Her daughter said she had ‘so much left to live for’

A “bubbly” mum from Cambridgeshire died suddenly at her home. Gemma Connor, aged 40, from Peterborough, died at her home on October 12, 2024.

An inquest into Gemma’s death held last week heard Gemma, a mental health practitioner, had a history of health conditions including acute pancreatitis and fatty liver condition. The mum had also been prescribed several medications.

The death of the 40-year-old came as a shock to her family. Jasmine Connor, Gemma’s daughter, said her mum’s heart “just stopped overnight and she couldn’t be resuscitated”.

Alongside Jasmine, Gemma left behind her son, Callum. Jasmine, who lives in Nottingham, previously told the Nottingham Post: “She was amazing. She was bubbly and had so many friends. She lit up every room. She had so many people who cared about her and so much left to live for.”

The hearing heard that on October 11, 2024, the 40-year-old went to bed at her home in Peterborough at about 11.30pm. Around 30-minutes later, her partner woke up to find Gemma unresponsive with shallow breathing before calling 999.

He was advised to begin CPR and the emergency services rushed to the scene. Paramedics performed medical treatment on Gemma and she was deemed in cardiac arrest. She was pronounced dead at 2.02am on October 12.

A toxicology report revealed prescribed medication in her system, including morphine. The level of morphine was at a high, possibly toxic level, the hearing heard.

Coroner Jones was unable to confirm the level as toxic as this depends on the individual’s tolerance. Gemma’s cause of death was confirmed as respiratory failure due to morphine toxicity with contributing conditions of chronic pancreatitis and liver disease.