'She hadn’t even unpacked': Son speaks of devastation after mother's tragic airing cupboard death
“If anyone could have got out of that cupboard it would have been mum."
The devastated son of Mary Isherwood has paid tribute to his 'fit and sporty' mother who died after getting trapped inside an airing cupboard at a holiday complex in mid Wales.
Mrs Isherwood, aged 60 and from Wolverhampton, was found dead in the cupboard inside the apartment she was staying in at Plas Talgarth, near Machynlleth, in September last year.
An inquest was told this week how the former police officer ripped off shelves and piping in a bid to break out of the cupboard after its door knob fell off.
Her body was only found a week after she had checked in when water from the pipe poured through the ceiling.
Devastated
Nine months after Mrs Isherwood's death, her 32-year-old son Craig said the inquest had brought back the pain.
"She hadn’t even unpacked as when they found her body a week later her clothes and case were still in the room untouched," he said.
“We are all absolutely devastated to find out what happened.
"Mum was so sporty, fit, healthy, and loved playing golf.
“If anyone could have got out of that cupboard it would have been mum.
“The inquest has brought it all back to us; it’s been a tough nine months and losing her has left a huge hole in our lives.”
Family timeshare
Mrs Isherwood had been staying at the timeshare, which the family used to co-own, by herself for a week, her former husband Clive said.
She had gone for a drink with Clive the night before going to stay at the property, which the whole family had often used to stay in together.
The couple had met in the police force and split almost 30 years ago when Mrs Isherwood came out as gay, but had always remained on good terms.
Mr Isherwood, aged 65, believes his ex-wife went for a swim before returning to sleep in her room and waking in the middle of the night to use the en-suite bathroom.
“Mary and I met for a drink on the Friday before she went to the time share," Mr Isherwood said.
“It was our timeshare that we’d bought together when we were married but we’d recently sold it.
Trapped
“The staff at the complex had given Mary some vouchers to use for a final stay.
"She would’ve usually gone with friends but nobody could make it during that week so she went alone.
“We think she arrived there early on the Saturday, had gone for a swim and then gone back to the room after she’d checked in.
“She’d gone to bed, then woke in the night to use the bathroom and had somehow managed to get trapped in the airing cupboard which is inside the en-suite bathroom.
"The broken pipe sprayed water throughout the airing cupboard, leaving her drenched."
Hypothermia
The cold water and the fact she was naked accelerated her death, which was caused by hypothermia, the inquest at Caernarfon heard.
Mrs Isherwood's body was found by a maintenance worker on the day she was due to check out after water was discovered leaking from her room.
“We heard at the inquest that witnesses from the complex had heard banging on the Saturday night," Mr Isherwood continued.
“They didn’t report anything though as they thought it was maintenance work.
“They’d said that the banging stopped at around 5pm on Sunday night and they thought nothing more of it.
“Her body wasn’t found until the day she was due to check out which was a week later; so this happened right at the start of her trip.
“Maintenance had been sent to investigate some leaking water and had found Mary’s body trapped in the cupboard.
“It must have been awful for her, to be trapped in there.
“She’d tried to use a broken pipe to claw her way out, and had made one hole in a wall, and another hole which we later found out, if she’d carried on banging, she probably could’ve escaped through.
“She must’ve been exhausted which is why she stopped banging.”
Police officer to care worker
Mrs Isherwood, who lived on Warmley Close, quit the police force after coming out as gay and relocated to London where she began working for the Post Office Investigation Service.
While in London she met her partner Rosie and the couple moved to New Zealand together in the early 90s.
Mrs Isherwood returned to the UK in the early noughties and began working as a carer.
