IT has been the worst four months of Josie Born’s life.

In November her 54-year-old mum collapsed suddenly and died.

Then last week she arrived home to find her puppy, Bella, foaming and bleeding from the mouth in her South Lake back garden. Bella died in her arms on the way to Murdoch veterinary hospital: Ms Born believes she had been kicked to death or poisoned.

Adding to her trauma is the mystery surrounding her mother’s death.

Ms Born says her mother, Linda, had been assaulted by a man she had been trying to help, and that injuries sustained from a “king hit” contributed to her death.

A post-mortem failed to find a cause of death and Ms Born is awaiting the results of further pathology tests.

• Josie Born and her daughter Layla. Photo by Matthew Dwyer

Referral

Linda had received a referral from her doctor to see Headwest, but died a few days before the appointment card arrived.

“My mum was an alcoholic and started having seizures at the start of 2015, but after the attack she suffered agonising headaches every day and then one day she collapsed and died,” Ms Born says.

“The man who king hit her was a friend of my older brother and my mum offered to take him in and help him out.

“Her trust was misplaced and he attacked her one night.

“We went to the police but they said they couldn’t find any DNA on his clothing and said they couldn’t charge him.”

A WA Police spokesperson confirms the service was made aware of an alleged assault that took place in a car on August 23 last year.

“The matter was investigated and all parties involved, and witnesses, were spoken to,” the spokesperson said.

“The victim attended hospital and it was established there were no serious injuries.

“Police officers visited the victim at home and the victim advised them she would consider whether she wanted to progress with the complaint.

“As there was no other supporting evidence the matter was put on hold pending further contact from the victim.”

As the dust settles on a catastrophic four months, the 20-year-old single mum is trying to piece her life back together and shield her two-year-old daughter, Layla, from the trauma.

“This neighbourhood is riddled with meth addiction, crime and all sorts of weird behaviour,” she says.

“My puppy Bella’s teeth were smashed in and there was clothes from the line all over the garden.

“When I walked round I could smell rotting meat and it was one of those scenes where something just didn’t feel right from the off.

“My two-year-old daughter was there and it was very traumatic for her. Since my mum’s death that puppy has been our only source of comfort.”

“We stay in a Homeswest house and can’t afford to find out conclusively what happened to Bella. The puppy has since been buried in the back garden.

“That puppy was all we had left to remind us of mum: when they cleaned out her Homeswest house they dumped all her stuff and I don’t have any mementos or photographs from her place.

“It’s been a rough three months, but we’ve got to keep going.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK