This article discusses sensitive topics, including suicide, which may be distressing for some readers.
A family’s worst fears were realized when a mother didn’t maintain her usual social media presence, leading them to discover her tragic death at home.
Just before Christmas in 2022, Katy Gough stopped responding to texts and calls from her worried family members.
Katy, from Greater Manchester, UK, was affectionately nicknamed the ‘Green Diva’ for her consistent choice of green attire.
At the age of 32, Katy was found unresponsive in her residence by her family, and it is believed she took her own life.
Elaine Beech, her mother, opened up about the profound impact of Katy’s death to the Manchester Evening News.
Elaine stated: “We went round and broke in and found her. She had the best life. For her to do what she did, she must have been so depressed.
“She had split up from her partner, but apart from that, to me she was just normal Katy. Even her sister Ashley didn’t know and they were so close. It just came as a complete shock. She kept it all to herself.”
Elaine also touched on Katy’s love for the color green: “It was just her favourite colour. Everywhere she went, she had green on. Her nails were painted green, she dressed in green, everything she wanted to do was green.
“We got her a green coffin; she would have been happy with that.”
Elaine described Katy as a ‘very funny’ person who was adored by many, and shared how Katy’s daughter Lola, who was just two years old at the time of her mother’s death, is beginning to ask questions about her mom.
She said: “Last week she wanted to know how her mummy died. She said, ‘Grandma, how did my mummy die?’ She says she wants her mummy whenever she sees pictures of Katy. We have photos all around the house. It was a devastating shock to her.”
It was Lola’s picture with Santa Claus on Facebook that raised alarms within the family when Katy didn’t comment on it, a behavior highly unusual for her.
This prompted the family to check on her, leading to the heart-wrenching discovery.
In honor of Katy and to support Lola, who is now four, her friends climbed Scafell Pike on August 10 to raise funds for Child Bereavement UK, an organization helping Lola cope with her loss.
Their initial goal was to raise £1,000, but they surpassed it, donating £3,150 ($4,077) to the charity.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.