30-year-old was found dead surrounded by blood and vomit

A 30-year-old was found surrounded by blood and vomit four days after he died.Lynn man Kenneth Kusel, who worked as a builder, passed away on August 8.An inquest into his death opened and concluded at Norfolk Coroner’s Court this afternoon – although the exact cause of his death remains a mystery.

Given the lack of evidence, coroner Christopher Leach therefore recorded an open conclusion in which the death was recorded as “unascertained”.The inquest heard that Mr Kusel, who was born in the German city of Ludwigsburg, did not suffer from any serious health issues – although he did have hay fever.He lived with his mother at their home on High Street. She described him as a “very active man” who enjoyed going to the gym and competing in pool competitions, while he would go to the pub with friends at the weekend. Mr Kusel tested positive for Covid two weeks before he died, but despite initially feeling “very unwell”, he made a quick and full recovery.His mother was travelling in Germany at the time of his death. After becoming concerned having not heard from Mr Kusel in four days, a group of his neighbours climbed inside an open window and found him dead lying in his bed.The inquest heard that a mixture of blood and vomit was spread throughout the property, while faeces were found un-flushed in the toilet.A statement provided by St James Medical Practice staff said that Mr Kusel was a smoker and had a family history of high blood pressure, although he did not suffer from it himself. There was no suggestion from his medical record that he had any serious health conditions.After attending the scene on August 8, ambulance crews said that upon looking through Mr Kusel’s window, he displayed “unequivocal signs of death”.They originally suggested he may have gone into cardiac arrest.However, a post-mortem investigation could not determine the cause of death. Doctors found alcohol in his liver and muscle tissue but said this was likely to have developed after he died. There was no evidence that Mr Kusel had any alcohol or drugs in his system when he died.Mr Leach told the inquest: “I therefore conclude on the balance of probability that the medical cause of Mr Kusel’s death was unascertained.”For more information on how we can report on inquests, click here.