“They Called for Help. No One Came.”
The Unthinkable Tragedy Behind One Missed 999 Call
On a quiet Friday evening in February, Alphonsine Djiako Leuga did what any mother would do in a moment of crisis—she picked up the phone and dialed 999. Weak, breathless, and barely mobile from her battle with sickle-cell anemia, she gave her name and address clearly. Her 18-year-old daughter, Loraine Choulla, who had Down syndrome and multiple learning disabilities, sat nearby—frightened, confused, and utterly dependent on the only person who had ever cared for her.
But something went wrong. The emergency call was logged into the system as “abandoned.” The address was recorded. No one followed up. No ambulance was sent. The case was closed—by a computer.
What followed was a tragedy almost too painful to comprehend.
For over three months, no one checked on them. Their modest home in Nottingham remained untouched, windows ajar in the growing spring heat. Inside, Alphonsine lay lifeless in her wheelchair at a kitchen table still set for two. And in the living room, Loraine’s small, frail body was found curled on the floor.
Medical investigators believe Alphonsine died days after that unanswered call, likely from pneumonia that overwhelmed her weakened immune system. Loraine, left alone without her caregiver, tried to survive. She lived for another 26 days—eating what little she could find, unable to understand why her mother wouldn’t wake up, and watching her phone’s battery die without ever knowing how to charge it.
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