UK Doctor Dies After Taking Medication Purchased on the Dark Web, Inquest Finds

A 37-year-old doctor was tragically found dead in her space in Norwich during an inquest that looked into the possible events that led to the doctor’s untimely demise.

Dr. Suzanne Parker, who her friends called Suzy, was first declared missing before police identified her deceased body in her apartment at Hardwick Close in Eaton, Norwich. This took place on September 22nd, 2024, at 00.39 and the report says Suzy died of asphyxia caused by nitrous oxide abuse.

Two Decades of Mental Health Struggles

The inquest described a person who had been suffering from a long-term mental health disorder. Dr Parker’s problems started in 2002 after a trampoline accident she had when she was 13 years old.

What’s more! She suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), also known as a ‘mini-stroke,’ which occurs when the brain’s blood supply is temporarily blocked.

Shortly after this diagnosis, Dr Parker started self-harming herself and had her first overdose. Her GP, Dr Louise Francis from UEA Medical Centre, said that the medical history of Dr Parker was ‘complex’, as she had an eating disorder and continued to have mental health issues over the years.

Since her 2010 bipolar disorder diagnosis, she faced ongoing challenges and started private ketamine therapy in 2022.

Was It a Mental Illness or the Dark Web Took her Life?

By August 2024, Dr Parker told people that she felt ‘hopeless for the future and alone’. At the same time, Dr Parker was making plans to take a work trip to Spain and continuing her application to GP training. The program accepted her, but she died before she could learn about it.

The court heard she had been concerned about several things. Job security weighed on her mind. So did friendships, the health of her cats, and funding her ketamine treatment. Then Dr. Francis revealed something alarming: “She had bought medication on the dark web but would not disclose any more information.”

This aligns with broader concerns, as research has uncovered a hidden mental health crisis among dark web users seeking to self-medicate.

Final Hospital Visit Raises Questions

Dr. Parker’s final hospital admission came on September 16 after taking another overdose. The Norfolk and Norwich Hospital admitted her. Friend and former colleague Victoria Kelly visited her that same day. 

“She appeared to be very out of sorts and was acting inappropriately because of how severe the situation was,” Kelly told the court. “She saw it funny being in the hospital and making no sense.”

“She mentioned taking medication that she ordered on the dark web. I have no idea how Suzy managed to access the dark web, or had learned how to access it, but I felt that she had found it thrilling to do so,” Kelly added.

The hospital discharged Dr. Parker the next day. This decision has become a focal point of the inquest. Her mother, Danielle Fairey, expressed surprise at the discharge. She said she was surprised that the woman was allowed to return home, but added that the patient may have self-discharged to be home with her cats.

Fairey referred to her daughter prior to her passing as a “Hopeful” individual who was “working towards a future.” Her message was one of immense sorrow and frustration as expressed through the following quote: “She would have been saveable, had the people who discharged her from the hospital acted differently during the critical time period prior to September.”

Dr Parker completed her Bachelor’s degree with Honours in Philosophy and English Literature at the University of Reading in 2008, obtained her Master’s Degree at the University of Cambridge, and finally graduated from UEA Medical School in Norwich.

While working towards her degrees, and prior to the establishment of Headucate in 2012, she also participated in promoting mental health awareness by co-founding Headucate as a University Society for fellow-students.

Friends at the inquest described her as ‘compassionate and caring. The Inquest is still ongoing.