A former police officer died after bleeding to death from a tiny cut on her toe, an inquest heard.
Kimberley Sumner, 46, was found dead at her home by her former partner on April 10.
When officers arrived at the scene they thought there had been foul play because of the amount of blood, but an inquest heard the small injury to the former Staffordshire Police officer’s middle toe was the only one that could be found on her entire body.
Detective Sergeant Ian Pickstock, from Staffordshire Police, said she was found lying on a settee in her lounge with a blood-stained duvet.
Giving evidence at the hearing at Cannock Coroners Court, he also said it appeared she had walked while bleeding.
The inquest heard Miss Sumner suffered from clotting problems because of an alcohol-related liver disease.
Dr Peter Acland, who conducted the post mortem, said toxicology tests showed she was more than two-and-a-half times over the legal drink drive limit.
The inquest heard an email between Miss Sumner and her ex-partner on April 8, two days before she was discovered, was the last time she was known to be alive.
Miss Sumner was said to be a heavy drinker with a history of poor health, including sclerosis of the liver, but she had been trying to reduce her alcohol intake. Her health deteriorated in 2005 and she had to retire from the police in 2012 before she was admitted to hospital between January and February this year.
South Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh recorded a conclusion of accidental death and gave the cause of death as haemorrhage, injury to her toe, failure of blood to clot and sclerosis of the liver.
Miss Sumner had worked as a police officer for more than 20 years and had been presented with her Long Service Award before she retired in 2012.
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