A 22-YEAR-OLD woman who took an overdose of prescribed medication after a family argument died of brain injuries two days later, an inquest heard.

Laundry worker Ele Davis was found unresponsive in bed the afternoon after a night out with her mum and mum's partner had ended in a row, Dorset Coroner Rachael Griffin was told.

Mrs Griffin said Ele may not have intended to take her own life by taking too much Oramorph, which had been prescribed to alleviate pain caused by gallstones.

The Bournemouth inquest heard Ele, described as a "happy, typical 22-year-old", had been to Bournemouth town centre with mum, Claire, and Roger McGowan on the evening of Saturday May 6 this year.

The couple told the inquest that Ele left them for around 20 minutes during the evening and appeared to be "drunk" when she rejoined them.

Ele said a man had upset her by talking about rape and said it had brought back memories from something which happened when she was a teenager.

The couple called a taxi to return to the family home in Shelley Road in Boscombe and there was a disagreement.

Ele locked locked herself in the bathroom and made a small cut to her wrist before attempting to go to bed in the early hours of the morning carrying two bottles of Oramorph, liquid morphine, the inquest heard.

Mr McGowan said he took the Oramorph from Ele and put it away. The following afternoon he found her unresponsive in bed alongside an empty bottle of the medication.

Ele was taken to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital where she was treated in intensive care. She died of brain injury, due to aspiration pneumonia, due to opiate overdose two days later.

Recording a narrative verdict, Mrs Griffin said: "Ele Nicola Davis died as a consequence of an overdose of prescribed medication where her intention remains unclear."