 An inquest into Lynott 's death was held at Birmingham Coroner 's Court in January 2003 . The hearing was told that marks found on her back and an arm may have been bruising , but the pathologist who conducted the original post mortem could not be sure how she had died , because her body had lain undiscovered for up to seven days . It was also said that , despite her connection with Smith , police and four pathologists had failed to establish that Lynott had been murdered . The inquest jury returned an open verdict . 
