An 18-year-old girl who returned home feeling unwell after a Christmas party last year was later found dead in her bed.
Millie Grace Brian attended the celebration on Dec. 20, 2024, according to the Birmingham Mail and the Nottingham Post. The event took place at the Beeston Hockey Club, where she had worked for the past two years.
Around 1 a.m. local time, Brian reportedly began to feel sick and left the party with her mother, her mother’s partner, and a male friend.
During an inquest on Oct. 7, 2025, Brian’s mother shared that she found her daughter dead the next morning. The teen was discovered lying in the same position as the night before.
Brian died at her home on Manor Avenue in Stapleford, Nottingham, “from aspiration caused by alcohol intoxication,” according to the inquest record.
“She was just the best person. She was amazing and feisty but had a heart of gold,” her mother, Lucy, told reporters. “She was such a fun person to be around. She was the light in any room. She was my best friend and soulmate.”
Detective Constable Adam Penn of Nottinghamshire Police told the inquest that Brian “wasn’t described as being as intoxicated as on previous occasions,” according to the outlets.
Post-mortem results showed Brian had 187 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. Coroner Nathanael Hartley noted that the legal driving limit in England and Wales is 80 milligrams per 100 milliliters.
“The level of alcohol itself couldn’t have caused death, but it would have been sufficient to cause vomiting and a reduced consciousness level, which it did in this case,” Hartley explained. “This led to the inhalation of gastric contents into the airways, leading to death.”
After her passing, Beeston Hockey Club shared a tribute on Facebook, expressing gratitude for the support shown to Brian’s family:
“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your messages, kind words and donations to support the family. There aren’t enough words to thank you all enough.”
A memorial was later held in her honor, according to the club’s post.
