Young Girl kills herself after dying her blonde hair ginger

Tragedy: Frances Warren

A troubled young office worker hanged herself after becoming upset about her hair turning red, an inquest was told yesterday.

Frances Warren, 26, burst into tears when she told a friend her blonde hair had "gone ginger, hasn't it?" She was desperate for a hairdresser to dye her locks a darker colour.

But straight after the hair appointment at her home, Frances disappeared - leaving her purse and handbag behind. Two days later police found her body 80 miles away in dense woodland.

Frances's friend, Victoria McCullough, told the hearing in a statement: "I can recall her ringing me and telling me it had gone orange - crying and telling me 'It's gone ginger, hasn't it?'.

"I know she had her hair done for the third time and I said it looked really nice but I know she wasn't happy. During this conversation I recall her saying 'I don't want to be here' but not for one moment did I think she was suicidal."

In the days before her death, Frances texted Miss McCullough, saying: "Vic, I can't, I just want to be dead."

The text added: "It's all taking its toll with my hair and I can't cope."

The inquest was attended by Frances's parents, Kieran and Marjorie, sisters and boyfriend. Det Con Sue Pesticcio, of Avon and Somerset police, told the hearing that Frances was upset about her hair on May 28, the day before she vanished.

The officer said: "Marjorie describes Frances as... fretting about her hair again.

"All of a sudden she wasn't happy with it, saying it was ginger and her whole world was falling apart. She said things like she wished she was dead, she hated how she looked." The Bristol inquest was told Frances texted hairdresser Kelly Hill about 50 times, asking her to sort her hair out. Miss Hill went to the home in Thornbury, Glos, on May 29.

Miss Hill said: "Her hair was as white as it could go but she was still positive it was yellow. I only put toner on to try and help her." The court heard Frances hated the result but Miss Hill could not do anything about it straight away due to another s appointment. Frances was found hanged in Sedgley, West Mids.

Terrence Moore, assistant coroner for Avon, recorded a verdict that Frances took her own life. Mr Moore also said Frances visited her GP in the weeks before her death, reporting symptoms of anxiety and stress, but was not considered to be at high risk of self-harm.