Jorja Watt, a 27-year-old teacher from Lancaster, England, was discovered unresponsive at a friend’s residence on September 1, 2024. She later died. Watt had been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder. She had successfully completed six years of academic training for her teaching career and was set to begin a new role in Costa Rica.
An inquest conducted at Preston Coroner’s Court in January 2025, established Watt’s capacity to finish her education and sustain employment despite her diagnosed emotional personality disorder.
Prior to her death, Watt was taken into custody on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker during a night out in Preston, Lancashire. Her arrest involved being reportedly stripped and left nude in a cell at Preston Police Station, an incident that significantly impacted her mental well-being and instilled fear for her teaching career. She was detained for several hours and later released without any charges.
After the incident at the police station, Watt stopped taking her prescribed medication and started using prescription drugs. “She was not taking drugs for a high and chasing a thrill. Her mental health was a real battle for her, and taking medication was an attempt to win that battle,” the coroner explained during the inquest.
Post-mortem toxicology results showed the presence of multiple prescription drugs in her system at the time of her death, including methadone, pregabalin, and dihydrocodeine. At the inquest, medical experts testified that this mix of drugs, consumed without proper medical guidance, resulted in her death. The toxicology report indicated levels of medication suggesting consistent use in the weeks leading up to her death.
Investigations revealed a severe deterioration in Watt’s mental health after the police cell incident. She began frequenting places characterized as “drug dens” to acquire prescription drugs after discontinuing her prescribed medication. The coroner’s investigation linked this shift in behavior directly to the trauma she experienced during her arrest.
The coroner issued a verdict of misadventure, emphasizing that Watt’s death was an unintended result of her actions. The verdict underscored that her self-medication was a reaction to her declining mental health rather than recreational drug use. Medical testimony at the inquest indicated that the cocktail of drugs in her system created a deadly interaction that directly lead to her death.
