A heartbroken North Belfast mother says that almost one year on since a coroner ruled that her son died from a drug overdose she still cannot accept the findings.

Speaking openly for the first time since her 20-year-old son Eddie’s death two years ago next month, Kate Marley said she believed her son had “everything to live for”.

Edward Marley was found dead at his Duncairn Gardens home on October 31, 2009.

Last October coroner John Leckey found that the father-of-one died from a combination of diazepam, codeine and morphine.

During the inquest there were angry exchanges between the deceased’s family and witnesses, who were in the flat at the time of the death. Kate Marley previously suspected foul play in his death and had called for a full criminal investigation.

At the inquest the coroner said there was “no evidence of anything sinister happening” in the flat despite his family’s concerns but that it was likely that Eddie “was dead for a couple of hours before the police arrived”.

State pathologist Professor Jack Crane told the inquest that the levels of drugs in Edward’s body “weren’t particularly high, the problem in this case was the combination of drugs”.

Cliftonville Road woman Kate says that not a day goes past when she doesn’t think about what happened to Eddie and if something could have been done to save him.

“My son never took an overdose, he had everything to live for, at the end Edward fought to live but it was too late,” she told the North Belfast News this week.

“I haven’t been the same since, my life has just been turned upside down. I just feel empty inside and I still have so many unanswered questions.”

She recalled the horror of finding out that her son had passed away.

“I kept saying to myself ‘waken up Kate it’s a dream’, but it wasn’t, it was real,” she said.

“It was like I was in a trance, I couldn’t hear right – I was totally numb, lifeless and cold, like I had felt in my flat before I knew he was dead.

“When I got in to see my son I was gutted and devastated. Me and his daddy sat on the floor, his eyes were open, I closed them. I remember saying through my tears, ‘Edward waken up, please waken up’.

“I looked at his wee body I remember saying to myself this isn’t right. He’s been lying here for some time. I froze beside him on the floor, I couldn’t move, I didn’t want to leave him. I cried my heart out and couldn’t stop.

“I felt lost, alone, lifeless. I went to my sister’s house, I couldn’t even tell my poor mummy in case the shock killed her.