Beth Mathews, 26, skyrocketed to fame as a social media influencer. She had accomplished a lot of success as a yachtswoman as well as in her career as a mental health blogger for various social media platforms. However, news has spread that Matthews tragically died while being held inside a secure psychiatric hospital after she ordered a poisonous substance from the internet and consumed it.
After obtaining the poison, Matthews lied to hospital workers and told them that it was actually a protein powder instead of the poison it truly was. Now, an inquest into the ordeal has been heard at the Manchester South coroner’s court as investigators try to figure out why the yachtswoman had the poison and if she was trying to commit suicide with it or if it was all just an accident.
Matthews had achieved a lot during her career as a yachtswoman. She completed her first Fastnet race when she was just fifteen years old, a feat that few people achieve across the entire globe. Mathews died pretty quickly after she ingested the poison on March 21, 2022.
In addition to her success in the open water, Matthews was also an accomplished mental health influencer who had thousands of followers on social media. In the court inquest, she was described as having an “incredible character” as well as being “bright and vivacious.”
Paramedics were called after she took the poison. She went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital. However, she did not survive and was proclaimed dead a short while earlier. Matthews was pronounced dead at Wythenshawe hospital shortly after 4 pm.
Matthews was being treated for a personality disorder at the Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal, Heald Green, which is located outside of Manchester, UK. She had been detained under the Mental Health Act and was undergoing specialist therapy when she took the poison she purchased from an online retailer.
Matthews suffered from mental health problems for much of her teenage years and adult life. She attempted suicide in April 2019. She suffered from severe, life-changing physical problems because of the suicide attempt.
During the inquest, Andrew Bridgeman, the assistant coroner, said that Matthews “ingested a substance that came through the post, quite quickly became unwell [and] was taken urgently to hospital where she sadly died.”
Paramedic Kate Barnes also shared a statement during the inquest about the rescue attempt after Matthews suffered from poisoning. Barnes said that Matthews had a “parcel delivered to the unit, which she opened in front of them and managed to consume.” The package contained “a small plastic, screw-top container.”
Matthews’s mother was also present for the inquest. She praised her deceased daughter and explained that Matthews was able to help a lot of people through her mental health blog. She would respond to people who replied to her content with a “caring, intelligent, and articulate” response each and every time.