An inquest has heard that Tasmin Paterson, 31, suffocated her nine-year-old son Hudson before taking her own life. Their bodies were discovered at a property in the Fletchersbridge area of Bodmin, Cornwall, in September 2024.
Relationship Breakdown
The inquest at Cornwall Coroner's Court on Monday heard that Ms Paterson's relationship with her partner Marcus Hughes had broken down. Mr Hughes found mother and son dead in a bedroom. He told the inquest the relationship had become "fraught" after she discovered he had been using a dating site.
Senior coroner Andrew Cox said: "Mr Hughes was Tasmin's partner at the time of her death and he accepted that, while their relationship had been good and healthy and strong at the outset, that more recently it had run into difficulties."
Health and Pressures
Mr Hughes informed the inquest that Ms Paterson had sustained a head injury and subsequent mobility problems, and the couple faced considerable financial and housing pressures. He said: "We'd not broken up necessarily but we were on the verges, I felt."
Night Before Deaths
The inquest was told Hudson was "poorly" the evening before his death, prompting his mother to say she would share a bedroom with him, an arrangement that was not unusual. Mr Hughes stated he had no worries until the following morning, when neither appeared to have stirred. He knocked and called their names from outside the locked bedroom door, growing increasingly concerned when he received no answer. After telephoning the police, he forced entry and found the bodies.
Police and Coroner Findings
A police investigation "very quickly recognised" that Mr Hughes had played no part in either death, according to the coroner. Mr Cox stated: "The evidence of the police is that it is more likely than not that Hudson has died because he has been asphyxiated by Tasmin." He concluded that Ms Paterson's death was the result of suicide, and Hudson's death was ruled as unlawful killing.
Family Reaction
Aaron Paterson, Ms Paterson's former husband and Hudson's father, described their separation as "amicable" and said Hudson had been "everything" to his mother. "She loved him with all of her heart and Hudson was her everything. She never hurt him, never raised a hand to him, never screamed in his ear or anything along those lines. I never had reason to be cautious or suspicious."
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