June 21, 2018

“She hadn’t even unpacked when they found her body a week later."

An ex-policewoman who died after getting trapped naked in an cupboard on holiday tried for more than 24 hours to free herself — but other hotel guests thought the banging coming from her room was maintenance work, her family claim.

Elizabeth Isherwood (known as Mary) from Wolverhampton, near Birmingham in England, accidentally walked into an airing cupboard, which is a common room in British homes used to dry clothes.

She mistook the door for the bathroom, and when it locked behind her did everything she could to get out — include breaking down a pipe and try to break down a wall to free herself.

But she died from hypothermia after getting covered in water.

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Her devastated family say that other guests reported hearing banging at the Plas Talgarth holiday complex, a timeshare, near Machynlleth in Wales, for more than 24 hours.

Unfortunately, they assumed there was maintenance being done to the property, and nobody searched Ms Isherwood’s room.

Mary with her son, Craig, when he was a little boy. Source: Caters

“She’d gone to bed, then woke in the night"

Her family are now considering taking legal action against Plas Talgarth.

It was only when water started to leak from the property a week later that staff found her locked in the airing cupboard.

“She’d gone to bed, then woke in the night to use the bathroom and had somehow managed to get trapped in the airing cupboard which is inside the ensuite bathroom," her ex-husband Clive said.

“The broken pipe sprayed water throughout the airing cupboard, leaving her drenched.”

The cold water and the fact she was naked brought on hypothermia which was given as the cause of death at an inquest held at Caernarfon earlier this week.

“We heard at the inquest that witnesses from the complex had heard banging on the Saturday night," Clive continued.

“They didn’t report anything though as they thought it was maintenance work.

“They’d said that the banging stopped at around 5pm on Sunday night and they thought nothing more of it."

Mary tried to use a broken pipe to claw her way out of the cupboard. Source: Caters

Her body wasn't found for a week later

“Her body wasn’t found until the day she was due to check out which was a week later; so this happened right at the start of her trip," she said.

“Maintenance had been sent to investigate some leaking water and had found Mary’s body trapped in the cupboard.

“It must have been awful for her, to be trapped in there.

“She’d tried to use a broken pipe to claw her way out, and had made one hole in a wall, and another hole which we later found out, if she’d carried on banging, she probably could’ve escaped through.

“She must’ve been exhausted which is why she stopped banging.”

“If anyone could have got out of that cupboard it would've been Mum"

“She hadn’t even unpacked as when they found her body a week later her clothes and case were still in the room untouched," her son, Craig, said.

“We are all absolutely devastated to find out what happened. Mum was so sporty, fit, healthy, and loved playing golf.

“If anyone could have got out of that cupboard it would have been Mum.

“The inquest has brought it all back to us; it’s been a tough nine months and losing her has left a huge hole in our lives.”

Craig and her ex-husband Clive say reliving their grief through the inquest has been incredibly painful. Source: Caters

Mary came out as gay and found love

Mary quit the police force after coming out as gay and relocated to London where she began working for the Post Office Investigation Service.

While in London she met her partner Rosie and the couple moved to New Zealand together in the early 90s.

Mary returned to the UK in the early noughties and began working as a carer.

The Plas Talgarth holiday complex has been contacted for comment.