THE body of a Ruthin woman may have lain undetected in her home for several weeks, an inquest heard.

Linda Williams’ body was so badly decomposed that pathologist Dr Muhammed Aslam was unable to determine the cause of death.

Police broke into her home in Bro Deg, Ruthin, on March 13 after neighbours had expressed concern about her and the last receipt for food that they found was dated from January.

Her sister Ruth Hodkinson told the hearing in Ruthin that she had previously suffered from depression but had weaned herself off medication about 12 months ago.

She had, however, struggled to cope after the deaths of both their parents and was “a bit of a recluse”.

“She had always been a quiet person,” said Ms Hodkinson.

Miss Williams, 61, was a bio-medical scientist and until her retirement worked in Cardiff.

Mrs Hodkinson said she communicated with her sister, who was a talented artist, by letter.

“She wanted to keep herself to herself and we respected her wishes,” she said.

A paramedic who attended estimated that she had been dead for at least three weeks but Joanne Lees, assistant coroner for North Wales East and Central, said it could have been since January.

Recording an open conclusion, she said: “It is most likely that she simply passed from natural causes.”