A woman who died suddenly was eaten by her pet dogs after her body lay undiscovered for days , an inquest was told . Noelle Baynham was found by a close friend who let himself in after she failed to answer the door . The body had been partially eaten by the Jack Russell and Staffordshire Bull Terrier , which are initially thought to have tried to wake her before becoming desperate for food . It is believed the 61-year-old from Winchester , Hampshire , collapsed and died following an accidental overdose of medication . Eaten : Noelle Baynham 's dogs started to eat her remains after being locked in the house for days . The most likely cause of death was an accidental overdose , an inquest was told . However a pathologist could not determine the exact cause of death because the dogs , who were trapped in the house , ate parts of her vital organs . Concerned friend Grant Donovan made the 'horrific ' discovery of her remains after nobody answered the front door at her home . He told the inquest that he could hear her two dogs barking and jumping behind the door and became concerned that there did not appear to be anyone in with them . Finding the back door unlocked , he entered the house where he said the floors were covered in dog faeces . Walking through , he then discovered Ms Baynham 's body lying on the landing . 'This was the most horrifying thing I have ever seen , ' he told the inquest . ' I could not look at her long , so I just came away and called 999 . ' Detectives who searched the house following the grim discovery , on January 17 this year , could find no evidence of a struggle or foul play . The hearing was told how former jeweller Ms Baynham was found was in her dressing gown and had run a bath just before her death . Pets : A Staffordshire Bull Terrier ( left ) and Jack Russell ( right ) like the ones owned by Noelle Baynham . Detective Constable Wesley Arnold from Hampshire Police told the coroner that scratch marks on her chest indicated that her dogs may have tried to wake her after she collapsed . Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery reaveled that she had probably died ' a few days ' before she was found , but because the dogs had eaten her organs it was impossible to establish exactly what had killed her . The 'combined effect ' of a variety of drugs found in her system was likely to have been the cause of an accidental overdose , she added . The hearing was told that Ms Baynham suffered from bipolar disorder and chronic alcoholism and was prescribed a variety of medication . Blood tests found a range of drugs in her system including potentially toxic levels of painkillers . Recording an open verdict , senior central Hampshire coroner Grahame Short ruled that there was no evidence of suicide or an accidental fall , but said Ms Baynham may have had a stroke . 'The horrific element in this case is what happened after death rather than before , and it 's entirely plausible that when there are dogs in the house with no one to care for them , that they will then start to eat her remains . 'That clearly was a major hindrance to Dr Jeffery in her examination , and as she 's explained , she was not able to look at her important organs and she could not establish a clear cause of death . ' I have to say there 's no sign to say this was a deliberate overdose . There can come a point where [ the drug level over time is ] just too high and one pill too many can tip over the balance . ' The dogs were subsequently put down on the advice of police officers .
Wesley Arnold and Staffordshire Bull Terrier were trapped in house . Believed they tried to wake her before eating parts of her remains . Coroner heard likely cause of death was from accidental overdose . Both dogs have now been destroyed on the advice of police .