A 13-year-old rape and murder victim who was found unresponsive in a teenage boy’s bedroom suffered ‘multiple cardiac arrests’ before dying.
An inquest heard Casey-Louise Horrocks died in hospital after being found in the 16-year-old boy’s bedroom, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on August 11.
After a post-mortem, her cause of death is still unknown.
West Yorkshire Police launched a double rape and murder enquiry after the schoolgirl, a pupil at Mossley Hollins High School in Manchester, died a day after being found.
The teenage boy, from Huddersfield, was arrested on suspicion of the rape and murder of Casey-Louise and the rape of a 16-year-old girl in his home town has been released on conditional bail.
Today, an inquest into Casey-Louise’s death was opened by the assistant coroner but was suspended for six months while West Yorkshire Police investigate.
What to do if you’ve been raped
If you have been the victim of rape, either recently or historically, and are looking for help, support is out there.
- If you have recently been raped and you are still at risk, ring 999 and ask for the police. Otherwise, the first step is to go somewhere you are safe.
- If you want to report your rape to the police, ring 999 or the police non-emergency line on 101. An Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) will often be on hand to help you through reporting and even after you have made a statement, you can still decide to withdraw from the criminal justice process at any time.
- If you plan on going to the police, if possible, do not wash your clothes or shower, bathe or brush your teeth. If you do get changed, keep the clothes you were wearing in a plastic bag. These steps will help to preserve any DNA evidence your attacker may have left on your body or clothes.
- If you don’t want to contact the police, Rape Crisis suggest talking to someone you trust about what has happened; or you can ring one of the UK’s many rape and sexual assault helplines.
- Anyone aged 16+ can contact Rape Crisis’s 24/7 Support Line by calling 0808 500 2222 or starting an online chat.
- If you have been injured, you’re best advised to go to your nearest A&E to seek medical treatment. If you are uninjured, you can go to your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). The NHS has information on where to find your nearest centre here.
- If your rape is historic, you can still access support, including from the police – there is no time limit on reporting and your account can still be used as evidence.
Read more here.
Coroner’s officer Victoria Normington said: ‘The brief circumstances of her sad death are that the Yorkshire Ambulance Service were called to a house in Huddersfield regarding an unresponsive teenager.
‘CRT [cardiac resynchronisation therapy] was commenced, and Casey was admitted to the Calderdale Royal Hospital, where she was initially unresponsive and unconscious.
‘She was taken for scans, and CPR was commenced as she then suffered four cardiac arrests. She was sadly pronounced dead at 2.18 am.’
Casey- Louise was formally identified through photographic evidence given to detectives.
This Is Not Right
On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.
With the help of our partners at Women’s Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.
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Pathologist Dr Kirsten Hope performed a post-mortem to establish the cause of death, but the cause remains unexplained.
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