In the United Kingdom on June 25, 2010, a man alerted authorities to the fact that his wife, Diane Stewart, had fallen in their house in Cambridgeshire County. However, science will soon determine the exact cause of her death.
“My wife had a fit,” said Ian Steward on the 999 call. “She’s in the garden,” he added.
The first responders arrived by air at the family’s home and Victor Nickson, the couple’s next-door neighbor, stated that he remembers the event clearly. He commented, “I saw them do a thumbs down and shaking their heads in answers to questions [from] the arriving paramedics. The CPR stopped. One put his arms around [Stewart] who was showing signs of stress and concern.”
Another neighbor, Vanessa Easton, who was a nurse, recalls that there was no blood. She stated, “I remember thinking at the time ‘thank goodness there’s no blood… she looks perfect.’”
Diane was living with epilepsy but her condition had been well-managed. She was known to be artistic, kind, and a great mother.
“She was well. I knew about the epilepsy; it was well controlled,” said Vanessa.
The circumstances of Diane’s death were not considered remarkable by anybody. It was a difficult period, but it was doubtful that she had died suddenly from epilepsy-related problems.
“At the time of Diane’s death there was nothing to suspect that Ian had been responsible or that she had died at his hands,” Detective Superintendent Jerome Kent with the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit later added.
Ian subsequently moved on after the death of his spouse. His transition was, however, uncommon; people began to wonder about it.
He bought a sports vehicle and eventually met Helen Bailey through a bereavement site. Helen is a children’s author who lost her husband in 2011. The two moved into a home in Royston, Hertfordshire, where they planned to marry.
In April 2016, Ian stated that Bailey was missing. Her body and her beloved dog Boris, a dachshund, were discovered in a cesspit beneath their home three months later. Ian was then convicted of Helen’s murder after cops determined he’d poisoned her, suffocated her, and abandoned her body so he could inherit her $4 million estate.
This conviction sparked conversation in the neighborhood, especially since it involved Paul, Vanessa’s husband. Paul can still recall how strange everything looked during [that] investigation, including the events and narrative that developed during it. He stated, “I wouldn’t have expected him to have killed anyone. I found it quite difficult to relate to him. I found he got a bit close to you when he was talking, so you felt your personal space was being impeded.”
Police began investigating Diane’s case after Helen’s death and Ian’s conviction. When they learned that her death was a murder, this is when they discovered that there was a high chance it was one as well. However, the issue was that, because the 2010 post-mortem examination had been requested by Ian, Diane had only been examined for an anti-epileptic drug before her body was cremated according to his instructions. The direct evidence had vanished.
However, before she died, Diane donated her brain for medical study. This means there is still hope. Her brain was still sitting in storage at a hospital, unutilized and untouched.
The evidence gathered at the scene indicated that Ian had played a significant role in her death.
Diane’s brain was examined by a team of pathologists and scientists. Most physicians felt that Diane died from suffocation because her body showed no obvious signs of injury from her fall.
Even though Dr. Kieren Allinson was unable to rule out the possibility of sudden death due to epilepsy, there was “no positive evidence of a recent seizure.” For over thirty minutes, Professor Safa Al-Sarraj discovered damage that could have been caused by “restricted” breathing. “Smothering or interfering with the mechanics of breathing or some kind of drug use” might cause another damage, according to Dr. Nat Cary.
Ian had also taken advantage of the fact that he and Diane were no longer together, gathering around $130,000 from her bank accounts and life insurance policy after her death.
After all of the evidence was presented, the court sentenced Ian to life in prison.
