Eva Rausing, one of Britain’s richest women, died as a result of cocaine abuse, a coroner has ruled.
The 48-year-old’s body lay undiscovered for two months before she was found at the five-storey West London home she shared with her husband Hans, heir to the Tetra Pak fortune.
She was discovered in a fly-filled room hidden under a pile of bedding with a foil pipe in her hand, Westminster Coroner’s Court heard.
Police found the mother-of-four’s body in an advanced state of decomposition after they had arrested Rausing on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs on July 9.
A post-mortem examination found she died on May 7 and had drugs in her system, including cocaine.
Mr Rausing, who was too unwell to attend the inquest, said in a written statement that he had been left devastated by the death of his “beloved wife”.
He explained how he discovered Mrs Rausing after hearing her slide off the bed while he was shaving in the bathroom.
“She landed sideways and her head was resting on a pillow,” Mr Rausing said.
“I tried to pull her up… I shouted ‘Eva, Eva, Eva’.”
Mr Rausing said he could see his wife’s eyes dim before covering her lifeless body with duvets and bedding.
He was given two suspended sentences in August after admitting preventing the lawful and decent burial of his wife’s body.
In his statement, the multi- millionaire said that in hindsight he had not acted “rationally”.
“I could not cope with her dying or confront the reality of her death,” he added.
Detective Inspector Sharon Marman, who led the investigation into Mrs Rausing’s death, told the inquest that she was found with silver foil in her hand.
It had been rolled up as a pipe with wire wool inside, indicating it had been used for smoking cocaine, she said.
Toxicology reports on Mrs Rausing showed cocaine, opiates and amphetamines in her blood.
Mrs Rausing had been fitted with a pacemaker following heart surgery in August 2006, which revealed she had suffered a “non-survivable” heart rhythm on the morning of May 7.