Mother found dead next to body of her disabled daughter after they had both lain undiscovered for months had asked shops for frozen pizzas on credit and had no heating, locals say

A mother found dead next to the body of her disabled daughter after they had both lain undiscovered for months had asked shops for frozen pizzas on credit and had no heating, according to locals.

Alphonsine Djiako Leuga, in her 40s, and her teenage daughter were found by police in May after ‘concerns were raised’ about their welfare.

Nottinghamshire Police previously said the bodies had remained “undiscovered for some time” and did not believe the deaths were suspicious.

A resident, Babatunde, recalled how he first became concerned about Alphonsine in December. The Guardian reported this.

Alphonsine Djiako Leuga (pictured), in her 40s, and her teenage daughter were found by police in May after ‘concerns were raised’ about their welfare

Nottinghamshire Police previously said the bodies had remained “undiscovered for some time” and did not believe the deaths were suspicious.

He works at an African butcher and grocery store and said her face was “swollen” and she had complained about the temperature and condition of her home.

The shop assistant told The Guardian: ”I said, ‘Why don’t you heat the house?’ and she said she couldn’t pay the bill.”

He had last seen the mother, who is originally from the coastal town of Doula in Cameroon, in February.

Another local resident, Jeya Bavanantharajah, who works at Jays Food and Wine, recalled how Alphonsine told him they had no food.

Mr Bavanantharajah said: ‘She asked me if she could get some frozen pizzas on credit. Two weeks later she brought the money back, it was £2 or £3.’

The interaction took place about three months ago and the mother had told the store employee that they had no heat.

The couple lived together in a council house and Nottingham City Council has now launched an investigation and investigation into agency involvement with the family.

A spokesperson for Nottingham City Council said: ‘This is a tragic situation and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the mother and daughter who died. The full circumstances will be the subject of an investigation and a full investigation will be carried out to look at the involvement that all local agencies had with the family.

‘Pursuant to the investigation and assessment, we cannot discuss the details of this case, but we can confirm that the council has provided support to the family through its care and housing services.’

Deborah Williams, 48, a neighbour, previously said social services had visited her home a number of times in recent months because they were unable to get hold of Alphonsine.

Mrs Williams added: “The social workers asked if I had seen them recently. But I only really noticed them when they left the house to run errands.

‘I never heard the girl talk. I don’t know how severe her disability was, but I think she was non-verbal.

‘It’s very sad. I think social services probably finally got the police to break in.”

Mrs Williams thought she had last seen the couple in February but thought little of it as they often went away for ‘months at a time’.

Neighbors have also previously claimed that Alphonsine fled an abusive relationship in Italy before settling in Britain.

The couple lived together in a council house and Nottingham City Council has now launched an investigation and investigation into agency involvement with the family.

The mother was taken in by a Good Samaritan who found her with her two daughters on a city center street about seven years ago.

Tatiane Nulah told how she housed the trio after finding them with their luggage on the pavement outside the Victoria Center shopping center in Nottingham.

The family then stayed with Ms Nulah for about a fortnight before suddenly ‘just disappearing’.

Someone who knew Alphonsine previously told the Mail that after leaving Ms Nulah’s house, they rented a run-down property, “but they had to leave because it was leaking.”

They were housed in a budget hotel by the council before the authority finally found them at the property in Radford where the bodies were discovered in 2019.

A spokesperson for Nottingham City Council previously said: ‘We were deeply saddened to hear the news and our thoughts are with the friends, family and neighbors of the two residents at this time.

‘We are currently liaising closely with police to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.’

MailOnline has contacted Nottingham City Council for a comment.