Mum's urgent plea as daughter dies on holiday after taking lethal drug combo thinking it was cocaine

A grieving mother has made a poignant plea to holidaymakers after her daughter passed away when she unknowingly consumed a deadly cocktail of drugs.

Anita Turner has urged people heading abroad to steer clear of substances following the tragic death of her daughter Rebecca, 36, last year.

She was found dead in her hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, alongside her boyfriend Sam Melnick on 15 March, 2024, after unintentionally taking a fatal combination of drugs during the trip.

An inquest in Lewes this week heard how the couple, who had travelled to the Southeast Asian country for a wedding, were found unresponsive by hotel staff after a pal raised the alarm.

The night before, Rebecca, from Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex, had taken what she believed to be cocaine, her parents said.

Anita Turner said she cries 'every day' following the death of her beloved daughter Rebecca (SWNS)

However, it was actually a lethal mixture of morphine, codeine, and several other substances, the inquest heard.

Assistant coroner Laura Bradford ruled that the 36-year-old had died as a result of 'drug toxicity', following a toxicology report which revealed traces of heroin, codeine, diazepam, and trazodone in her bloodstream.

"I have no evidence to suggest she was intending to die on March 15, and in addition, I have evidence from Rebecca’s family that her mental health was stable and her mood was in fact good," Bradford told the court.

Rebecca is understood to have occasionally taken cocaine and once sought treatment for problems with alcohol, but her family say she was in good spirits before she headed off to Thailand with Sam last year.

Following the conclusion of the inquest, Rebecca's mother Anita has urged others not to make the same mistake that her daughter did.

"If one person can see this when they go out there; please do not take anything, it's not worth it," Anita said.

"There are many deaths out there through the misuse of drugs, and with what's in these drugs, it's just not worth it because it's the parents that sit there picking up the pieces.

"Every day it kills me, every day I cry. I can't get over it and no mother would get over it."

Anita said that with 'everything else mixed in it', the substance which Rebecca took proved to be 'deadly'.

The 'bubbly' 36-year-old accidentally took a deadly combination of drugs which she is said to have believed was cocaine (SWNS)

Paying tribute to her 'fun, bubbly' daughter who was 'always partying, always laughing, always smiling', the mum explained it is simply too 'dangerous' to run the risk of taking drugs.

"I just want to say: Please don't do drugs out there," Anita added. "It's so, so dangerous out there. There are loads of drug deaths all the time. It's shocking.

"I would warn people to stay away from recreational drugs out there because you simply don't know what's in it.

"Rebecca was a lovely, caring person. She was happy-go-lucky, really, and we loved her. We are absolutely heartbroken."

Since her daughter's passing just over 12 months ago, Anita has travelled to Thailand three times to continue the charity work which Rebecca had begun with a school in Bangkok.

She intends to head back again in June to raise more money for youngsters in the capital city.

"I want to go back and help the schools for the sake of Rebecca, to raise funds and equipment for them," Anita said. "It was something Rebecca really wanted to help with, so I'm doing it for her as well.

"I raised a lot of money, done what my daughter would like to have done - go out there and help the school."