- Police investigating death of Peaches Geldof begin hunt for drug dealer
- They are hoping to establish who provided her with heroin and when
- Husband Thomas Cohen, 23, may be questioned over the drug supply
- Claims Peaches 'secretly visited' rehab clinic in weeks before her death
- Wore hoodie as disguise and was said to have been prescribed methadone
- Now emerges Peaches became obsessed with U.S. musician before death
- Posted messages about Elliott Smith online and called him a 'kindred spirit'
- Uploaded photo showing most-listened to music - all by Smith
- One of the musician's songs was also reportedly played during her funeral
- He struggled with drug and drink problems and committed suicide in 2003
The opening of an inquest into the 25-year-old's death yesterday revealed she had taken heroin, prompting police to launch a probe to establish who supplied the journalist and TV personality with the fatal class A drug.
Her husband Thomas Cohen may be questioned as part of the inquiry. The 23-year-old discovered his wife's lifeless body slumped across a spare bed at their home, one leg dangling off the side.
Serious questions have emerged over why there was no drug-taking paraphernalia in her home by the time authorities arrived, amid concerns the scene may have been cleared.
Tragic: Police have now launched a criminal
investigation into the death of Peaches Geldof, after it was revealed
she died having taking heroin. Detectives are trying to establish where
she got the drug
'Kindred spirit': Peaches had become
increasingly obsessed with the musician Elliot Smith in the days before
she died. Smith committed suicide in 2003 after suffering from
depression and drug and alcohol addictions
The man who met the star at the centre said she did not want Mr Cohen to know, telling him the father of her sons was a 'really straight family man'.
It has also been revealed that Peaches had become increasingly obsessed with the U.S. musician Elliott Smith in the days before her death. Smith committed suicide in 2003 aged 34, after struggling with his own addictions to drugs and alcohol.
Detectives could now question her husband, musician Thomas Cohen, who was the first person to find her body before raising the alarm, saying he could not revive her.
They are also attempting to track down the dealer who supplied the drug and establish when they may have done so.
The officers refused to comment on whether Mr Cohen had already been spoken to in relation to the drug supply, simply saying 'no arrests and no interviews under caution' had been made.
The investigation began as the opening of an inquest into the death yesterday confirmed that Peaches had died after taking a potentially lethal hit of heroin while in sole charge of her baby son Phaedra.
The brief hearing was told how Mr Cohen screamed as he returned home to find his wife slumped across her bed.
The incident has tragic similarities to the death of Peaches’ mother Paula Yates, who died from an accidental heroin overdose in 2000, aged 41.
She was discovered alone with her young daughter Tiger Lily, then four.
DCI Paul Fotheringham confirmed the drug
'contributed' to her death during a short statement as the inquest into
the mother-of-two's death opened
Heroin was said to have played a role in the
death of Peaches Geldof, an inquest has heard. Peaches' mother Paula
Yates died from an accidental overdose in 2000, aged 41
A PRESCRIBED HEROIN SUBSTITUTE
Methadone is prescribed to recovering addicts to help them quit heroin.
It has similar effects to heroin but does not deliver the same degree of buzz or high as the class A drug.
An addict's prescription for methadone is gradually reduced over time, as their treatment progresses.
It enables a patient to give up heroin while avoiding the acute withdrawal symptoms.
Methadone is an opiate, which is manufactured as a painkiller.
Opiates are sedative drugs that depress the nervous system.
They slow down body functioning and reduce physical and psychological pain.
It has similar effects to heroin but does not deliver the same degree of buzz or high as the class A drug.
An addict's prescription for methadone is gradually reduced over time, as their treatment progresses.
It enables a patient to give up heroin while avoiding the acute withdrawal symptoms.
Methadone is an opiate, which is manufactured as a painkiller.
Opiates are sedative drugs that depress the nervous system.
They slow down body functioning and reduce physical and psychological pain.
The man told The Sun: 'We were on first name terms but I called her 'P'.
'I last saw her a couple of weeks ago. She was fine but furtive.'
He said Peaches revealed she did not want husband Tom Cohen to find out she was in treatment, describing him as a 'really straight family man', adding he would not understand.
'She didn't want her husband finding out,' he added. 'She said he was completely straight and that Dad would go spare if he knew anything about it.'
He said Peaches was on a prescription for 20mg of heroin substitute methadone and had to visit the clinic weekly.
The television presenter Peaches Geldof with her
husband Thomas Cohen and their two sons, Phaedra and Astala. Mr Cohen
was said to have found his wife 'slumped' on the bed in a spare room
She posted a screenshot of her most listened to 25 songs, all of which were by Smith.
Peaches also wrote in another post: 'Maybe I should just call my blog 'f******* obsessed with Elliott Smith mumblog'.'
Describing one of his songs, she said: 'He speaks as someone who understands depression and drug abuse, someone who lives with it every day, sarcastically praising his sober and mostly happy friends for their failed mission to save him from something they could never understand.
Smith died in a suspected suicide in 2003 after struggling with his own addictions to drugs and alcohol. One of his songs was reportedly played during Peaches' funeral service.
The senior officer from Kent Police told the
hearing at Gravesend Coroners Court the model was in contact with
friends in the days before her death and there was no 'cause for
concern'
ELLIOTT SMITH'S LYRICS OFFER A REVEALING INSIGHT INTO LIFE AS A DRUG ADDICT
Nebraska-born Elliott Smith was a singer-songwriter famous for his often maudlin lyrics and unique guitar-style.
Influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Nico and Nick Drake, many of Smith's songs dealt with the subjects of depression and drug addiction.
The lyrics to one song, 'Needle in the Hay', are particularly descriptive about what life is like for a drug addict.
'Strung out and thin / Calling some friend / Trying to cash some cheque / A dead sweat in my teeth / Gonna walk walk walk / Downstairs to the man / He's gonna make it all okay,' he sings.
Like Peaches, Smith was something of a musical obsessive, often spending weeks listening to the same album over and over until he felt he truly understood it.
Smith was also known to gain inspiration from novels, religion and philosophy. He liked classic literature, especially Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Smith died on October 21, 2003, aged 34.
While Smith's death was originally reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of possible homicide.
Influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Nico and Nick Drake, many of Smith's songs dealt with the subjects of depression and drug addiction.
The lyrics to one song, 'Needle in the Hay', are particularly descriptive about what life is like for a drug addict.
'Strung out and thin / Calling some friend / Trying to cash some cheque / A dead sweat in my teeth / Gonna walk walk walk / Downstairs to the man / He's gonna make it all okay,' he sings.
Like Peaches, Smith was something of a musical obsessive, often spending weeks listening to the same album over and over until he felt he truly understood it.
Smith was also known to gain inspiration from novels, religion and philosophy. He liked classic literature, especially Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Smith died on October 21, 2003, aged 34.
While Smith's death was originally reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of possible homicide.
Kent Police detective chief inspector Paul Fotheringham told the inquest she had been making ‘plans for the future’, but that ‘recent use of heroin and the levels identified were likely to have played a role in her death’.
After Peaches was found on Monday, April 7, police said the death was unexplained but ruled out any suggestion of third party involvement.
However, because no drug paraphernalia was found at the scene, there are now questions over who supplied the heroin and whether there was a clear-up before authorities arrived.
Last night, Kent Police declined to comment on whether Mr Cohen, former singer with the band S.C.U.M., had been or would be questioned, and would not elaborate on details of the investigation.
They added that no one had yet been arrested or interviewed under caution over the death.
A spokesman confirmed, however, that the force was probing the supply of the drugs likely to have killed Peaches.
Peaches’s family did not attend yesterday’s ten-minute hearing, with the full inquest expected to begin in late July.
Gravesend Old Town Hall heard details of the moment the mother of two was discovered dead at the home she shared with Mr Cohen and their sons, Astala, 23 months, and 11-month-old Phaedra in Wrotham, Kent.
Mr Cohen, 23, had left his wife alone at the £1million property four days beforehand to spend the weekend at his parents’ home in south-east London.
Peaches is said to have posted this picture of her as a child with her mother Paula hours before she was found
Motherhood: Her youngest son Phaedra, who turned
one on April 24, was believed to have been in the home with Peaches
when she died
It was said to be a
regular arrangement that allowed the couple to focus on their work.
While she was in the house, Peaches remained in constant contact with
family and friends and was making plans for the future, said Mr
Fotheringham.
At 5pm the night before the tragedy, Mr Cohen’s father Keith took Phaedra back to Wrotham and spent half an hour with Peaches before leaving.
The last contact with her is thought to have been at 7.45pm that evening, when she had a telephone conversation with a friend.
‘All of the friends and family who had contact with Peaches during this period described how she seemed her normal self and was making plans for the future, including a family outing for her sons for the following weekend,’ Mr Fotheringham added. ‘There was no cause for concern.’
At 5pm the night before the tragedy, Mr Cohen’s father Keith took Phaedra back to Wrotham and spent half an hour with Peaches before leaving.
The last contact with her is thought to have been at 7.45pm that evening, when she had a telephone conversation with a friend.
‘All of the friends and family who had contact with Peaches during this period described how she seemed her normal self and was making plans for the future, including a family outing for her sons for the following weekend,’ Mr Fotheringham added. ‘There was no cause for concern.’
Police officers attend the home of Peaches Geldof in Wrotham, Kent, shortly after she was found dead earlier this month
The
following morning, Mr Cohen could not get hold of his wife and decided
to return home with his mother, Sue, and his other son, Astala, at about
1.30pm.
After discovering his wife’s body, he screamed out to his mother and rushed to find his baby son before calling 999 five minutes later.
After discovering his wife’s body, he screamed out to his mother and rushed to find his baby son before calling 999 five minutes later.
‘Thomas then located Peaches in a spare bedroom and it was obvious to him that she was deceased.
'She was located on the edge of a bed with one leg hanging down to the floor with the other leg tucked underneath her; she was slumped forward across the bed.’
Police and paramedics arrived and confirmed she had died.
The 25-year-old, daughter of Sir Bob Geldof, was
found dead at her country home earlier this month in what was described
by police as a 'non-suspicious' and 'sudden unexplained' death
The decorated coffin carrying Peaches Geldof arrives at St Mary Magdalene & St Lawrence Church
A post-mortem examination carried out by Dr Peter Jerreat at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford was subsequently inconclusive. Further tests have now confirmed heroin had been taken, Mr Fotheringham said.
Peaches was buried last month in a coffin decorated with a picture of her young family at the church near Faversham where she married just two years ago.
It was also where her parents – Miss Yates and Sir Bob Geldof – tied the knot in 1986 and where her mother’s funeral was held.
A police spokesman said: ‘Kent Police can confirm an ongoing investigation into the supply of drugs in connection with the death of Peaches Geldof.’
Coroner Roger Hatch adjourned the inquest until July 23.
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