Pictured: Missing mother-of-two eaten by her pet sausage dogs as she lay dead at home - as neighbours tell of tragedy
13 March 2025, 05:55 | Updated: 13 March 2025, 06:57
A missing mum-of-two has been pictured after she was found partially eaten by her two pet sausage dogs after they spent nearly a month trapped inside the house - as neighbours reveal why the alarm was raised.
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Jemma Hart, 45, had been missing for four weeks when her body was discovered at her home in Swindon - partially devoured by her two pet dogs, with the animals described by her son as “her life.”
Neighbours reported their concerns to police after a string of concerning incidents they deemed out of character for the mother.
They say Ms Hart, who was usually responsive, had failed to open a text message, her dogs hadn't been heard barking in the back garden of her property and that one of her dogs was heard whimpering from inside the house.
Ms Hart was often seen walking her dogs and, speaking at the inquest into her death, her son described her love for the two canines, adding they were "her life".
A post-mortem report carried out by toxicologist Peter Street later confirmed Ms Hart had died by suicide.
It comes as one neighbour spoke of the mum's "mental health problems" and the fact Ms Hart had broken up with her long term partner in the weeks running up to her death.
Talking to the Mail Online, Lorraine described the mother as a "troubled soul".
Lorraine continued: "I went home and I ummed and ahhed.
"Then I thought I'll ask the police to make a welfare check and that's when they found her."
A police officer later confirmed that Jemma's body had in fact been partially eaten by the starving canines following her death.
Speaking following the loss of his mother, Ms Hart's son explained: "She’d had dogs in the past but in 2022 she got a dachshund called Frankie and a year later she got another one called Millie.
"Her house backed onto Lydiard Park where she regularly walked her dogs, and the dogs were her life."
Coroner Ian Singleton told the inquest: "On January 29, Wiltshire Police was contacted by Jemma’s neighbours with concerns that they hadn’t seen her since Christmas.
Adding: "Officers went to her home and found her deceased in the living room."
"One of her dogs was also found dead at the scene and the other was in a distressed condition."
Police confirmed Ms Hart’s body had been partially eaten by the dogs.
The coroner concluded Ms Hart’s cause of death was suicide.
Mr Singleton continued: “Jemma lived alone with her two dogs in Swindon and she was estranged from her family.
“Jemma was found in her home with injuries caused by dogs after she died. Her death has been recorded as suicide.”
Ms Hart suffered from health and mobility problems which prevented her from working.
She was known to a local mental health charity but had not been in contact with them for some time.
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