Motorway mother did not kill herself, says husband

The husband of a mother of newborn twins who died on a motorway said today he was convinced she was suffering from post-natal depression.

The body of 30-year-old Heather Finkill from Pinewood Park, Farnborough, Hants, was discovered on the northbound carriageway of the M3 motorway on the morning of Wednesday January 2.

Police are investigating how Mrs Finkill, who gave birth to twin girls Lacey and Isabelle just two weeks before her death, came to be on the motorway close to junction 4A.

Ryan Finkill said that he had raised his concerns with her that she might be suffering from depression and she had agreed to see a doctor the next day.

He also described coming across the crash scene on the motorway as he drove around to find his wife.

Mr Finkill said: "The night before she died we were sat together in the living room but Heather did not seem herself at all.

"She was looking at me but it was as if she was looking right through me.

"It had been bugging me for several days and I was petrified she was suffering from post natal depression but I hadn't brought it up with her until that point.

"I told her straight that I thought that's what she had. I said I was going to take her to the doctor the next day and get it sorted out.

"When I said that she completely calmed down.

"It seemed like I was taking a rucksack full of bricks off her back. We even had our first kiss and cuddle since she had given birth to the twins."

Mr Finkill, a painter and decorator, said he awoke at 2am on the day she died and found Heather "obsessively" washing their daughter Lacey.

He added: "She had been obsessed that everything was exactly right for the babies. But I managed to calm her down and get her back into bed.

"At 5am she woke me up and asked if I could feed Isabelle. I fed her and changed her nappy and did the same for Lacey too."

At the time the couple were sleeping in separate rooms in order to get more sleep.

He added: "I came into the bedroom where Heather was sleeping and she looked so comfy.

"I said to her 'Do you want me to get in with you?' and she replied 'No - go in the spare room.' That is the last time we spoke."

Mr Finkill said he was woken by Isabelle crying at 9am but when he called out to his wife there was no answer.

He said: "I got up and went to see where Heather was but her bed was empty.

"I searched round the house for her but there was no sign and the front door was slightly open.

"I immediately rang her mobile phone but I could hear it ringing in the house. I checked and found one of my tops was missing but my car keys were there."

Mr Finkill said he contacted police and called relatives before heading out to search for his wife.

He said: "By this time I was in a state of panic and I was desperate to find her.

"Then as I drove over the motorway bridge I saw the accident and all the emergency services.

"I didn't think anything of it at the time. But then this awful thought came into my head - 'I hope she has not walked on to the motorway'.

"I got home and my younger sister Emma came in and said that a girl had been found on the motorway wearing pink pyjamas.

"When I heard that I just knew it was my Heather. I screamed my lungs out. It was a dreadful moment. At that moment my whole world fell apart.

"I just can't believe that she has gone. Every morning I wake up and dread the day to come.

"Every day I'm constantly reliving that day. It's tearing me apart.

"Last night was the first I was able to sleep in our bed because I can't get this out of my head."

Mr Finkill said that he was convinced that his wife - who he married in September 2002 - had not deliberately killed herself.

He said: "She did not kill herself that day. She couldn't have. Heather would never leave me on my own.

"I loved her so much and she loved me. She loved our babies and she had wanted a family so badly."

Mr Finkill said that when the girls grow up he will tell them their mother was "the most beautiful girl in the world."

He added: "I'll tell them how her eyes sparkled and how she would have been the best mum in the world to them.

"I loved her because she gave me so much confidence and she looked after me."