NEED TO KNOW
\nIn January 2024, a 12-year-old girl, Mia Lucas, died in a psychiatric facility in EnglandThis week, a hearing at a coroner’s court determined the child was suffering from a rare but possibly treatable brain disorder that spurred her behaviorAfter hearing the new evidence, Mia’s mom wiped away tears<\/p>\n
A mom was in tears earlier this week as she learned her 12-year-old daughter, who died in a psychiatric unit in England last year, was suffering from a rare but possibly treatable brain disorder that spurred her behavior.\n<\/p>\n
On Monday, Nov. 24, new evidence was presented at a hearing at Sheffield Coroner’s Court that proved that Mia Lucas had autoimmune encephalitis, the BBC<\/a>, ITV<\/a> and YorkshireLive<\/a> reported.\n<\/p>\n During the hearing, which began last week, officials have been determining whether the condition could have played a part in the girl\u2019s death.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Almost two years ago, Mia was hearing voices that told her to hurt herself and tried to get knives from the kitchen, prompting her to be taken to Becton Centre in Sheffield.\n<\/p>\n She was found unresponsive in her room on Jan. 29, 2024, according to the news reports.\n<\/p>\n Originally, the jury at the court in Sheffield was told that there was no physical reason for the psychosis Mia experienced.\n<\/p>\n But, on Monday, Marta Cohen, a pathologist, said that new blood test results were \u201cconclusive,\u201d the BBC reported.\n<\/p>\n Autoimmune encephalitis (or AE) can be deadly and has a range of effects, including psychiatric symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Following the presentation, Chloe Hayes, Mia\u2019s mom, and other family members wiped away tears, according to the BBC.\n<\/p>\n The family\u2019s pain first began on Dec. 31, 2023: Mia had attempted to get knives from the kitchen and her mom struggled to stop her, according to YorkshireLive.\n<\/p>\n The preteen was hallucinating and heard voices that told her she needed to go to heaven or something bad would happen to her loved ones, the outlet reported from the hearing.\n<\/p>\n Concerned for Mia’s safety, her family took her to Queen’s Medical Centre in her hometown of Nottingham on New Year\u2019s Eve.\n<\/p>\n By Jan. 9, 2024, she was sent to Becton Centre after her doctors found that there was no physical ailment that had caused the psychosis, YorkshireLive reported.\n<\/p>\n Even though she was being monitored, with nightly check-ins every hour, she was found unresponsive on Jan. 29. and declared dead the next day, the BBC reported.\n<\/p>\n The cause of death remains “compression of the neck,\u201d Cohen said at Monday\u2019s hearing, but she added that it was caused by “acute psychosis\u201d triggered by the newly confirmed condition, according to the outlet.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Dr. Mike Taylor, a pediatric neurologist, served as a consultant earlier on Monday and had said that it was \u201cpossible\u201d Mia had AE but not \u201cprobable.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Following the results of the blood tests, he later told the jury that it was now \u201cdefinite\u201d that she had AE, the BBC reported.\n<\/p>\n Mia Lucas.<\/p>\n Hudgell Solicitors \/ SWNS<\/p>\n While sitting at the witness stand, Taylor added that it was “quite concerning” that doctors at Queen’s Medical Centre allegedly didn\u2019t do more tests, but he understood the challenges they were facing to correctly diagnose the young girl.\n<\/p>\n