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Did British drug death couple die in 'Romeo and Juliet' suicide pact? Family fear young newlyweds may have killed themselves in despair at India’s grinding poverty
PUBLISHED: 21:01 GMT, 22 October 2014 | UPDATED: 08:42 GMT, 23 October 2014
Two British newly-weds who died from a suspected drugs overdose in India may have killed themselves in a Romeo and Juliet-style suicide pact, a relative said today.
Harrowing pictures emerged yesterday showing the bodies of James and Alex Gaskell slumped on a hotel bed surrounded by sleeping pills, anti-depressants and empty bottles of cough syrup.
Police say the couple – both teachers with first-class degrees – died of an overdose in their locked room near the Taj Mahal.
A book called The Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet, a travel bag, mobile phone and other holiday paraphernalia can also be seen on their double bed.
Mrs Gaskell's stepfather, Greg Pyke, said the couple may have taken their own lives in despair after being 'continually smacked in the face' by the country's shocking levels of poverty.
Scroll down for video
This is the harrowing final scene in the lives of James and Alex Gaskell. The picture, issued by Indian police, shows them surrounded by packs of the drugs that claimed their lives. Readers may find it distressing, but the Mail is publishing it, with the bodies pixellated, in the hope it will serve as a warning against the horrific dangers of casual drug use
Old-fashioned romance: The couple in 2012 (left) and smiling at a temple days before their deaths (right)
In the days before their deaths, he said Mrs Gaskell told how her idealistic view of life in India had been shattered by the reality.
Mr Pyke said her husband 'hated social injustice' and had been 'depressed' in the run-up to their travels.
Alluding to Romeo and Juliet, the architect told The Times: 'Something could have triggered James into a bit of a despair and, you know, he does something daft and she follows.
'They’re both philosophical characters.
'They were incredibly close and although I would have said Alex was inherently a much stronger personality and more balanced, I could conceive of a situation where, if James could take his life, then Alex could follow him.'
The shocking scene in their hotel room is a stark contrast to the happy image that Mrs Gaskell, 24, had posted a few days earlier of the couple smiling in front of a temple in Delhi.
Her 27-year-old husband had posted a series of messages on Twitter outlining his casual attitude to drugs.
His final tweet, on Sunday, two days before their bodies were found, said how easy they were to obtain in India.
‘Codeine under the counter here. With Valium, Xanax and Lyrica. Winning,’ he wrote. Earlier he said: ‘One prescription in India (after you have told the doctor what to write) will take you faaaaaar...’
In another post he said: ‘I am absolutely off my face on drugs.’
Tragic waste: Mr Gaskell pictured as a schoolboy
India is a popular destination for drugs tourists keen to acquire powerful prescription medicines from chemists, with few questions asked. It is unclear whether the couple died from an overdose of prescription drugs or from another substance.
Although Mr Gaskell made no secret of his craving for pills, relatives of his wife insisted yesterday she was anti-drugs.
The couple, who married last November, were found dead in the Hotel Maya in Agra. As well as strips of coloured capsules, police discovered a prescription for the anti-anxiety drug diazepam.
Mr Gaskell was found lying on his side while his wife was slumped in a crouched position. There was evidence in the room that one or both of them had been sick.
Rajesh Gupta, who owns the hotel which is a popular haunt for backpackers, said the couple checked in on Monday night.
He said: ‘Later they ordered the dinner at 9pm and by 10pm our room service went with dinner. He knocked on the door and James Gaskell opened the door and took the dinner – he didn’t allow our employee inside the room and closed the door.
‘They booked only for one night and were supposed to inform us about an extended stay.
‘When they didn’t come down, our hotel staff knocked their door at 11:30 am on Tuesday, but there was no response and door was locked inside. He informed the manager quickly who later informed the police.
‘Later police arrived and found that both were dead on the bed. Both the television and air conditioner were on.
Died: James Gaskell, 27, and his wife Alexandra, 24, pictured together in India just weeks before their death
Drugs paraphernalia: Police found these strips of tablets - thought to be sleeping pills and anti-depressants - next to the couple's bodies on the bed in their hotel room along with bottles cough syrup (not pictured)
James and Alex Gaskell 'may have killed themselves in despair at India's grinding poverty' | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
James and Alex Gaskell 'may have killed themselves in despair at India's grinding poverty' | Daily Mail Online
- James and Alex Gaskell found beside wide array of prescription drugs
- Indian police say teachers, aged 27 and 24, overdosed in locked room
- Couple, who taught at Manchester International College, wed in November
- Relatives insisted: 'This wasn't two young people on a drug-fuelled trip'
- Mr Gaskell had been on medication for bouts of depression, they said
- He had written: 'Codeine under the counter here. With Valium and Xanax'
PUBLISHED: 21:01 GMT, 22 October 2014 | UPDATED: 08:42 GMT, 23 October 2014
Two British newly-weds who died from a suspected drugs overdose in India may have killed themselves in a Romeo and Juliet-style suicide pact, a relative said today.
Harrowing pictures emerged yesterday showing the bodies of James and Alex Gaskell slumped on a hotel bed surrounded by sleeping pills, anti-depressants and empty bottles of cough syrup.
Police say the couple – both teachers with first-class degrees – died of an overdose in their locked room near the Taj Mahal.
A book called The Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet, a travel bag, mobile phone and other holiday paraphernalia can also be seen on their double bed.
Mrs Gaskell's stepfather, Greg Pyke, said the couple may have taken their own lives in despair after being 'continually smacked in the face' by the country's shocking levels of poverty.
Scroll down for video
This is the harrowing final scene in the lives of James and Alex Gaskell. The picture, issued by Indian police, shows them surrounded by packs of the drugs that claimed their lives. Readers may find it distressing, but the Mail is publishing it, with the bodies pixellated, in the hope it will serve as a warning against the horrific dangers of casual drug use
Old-fashioned romance: The couple in 2012 (left) and smiling at a temple days before their deaths (right)
In the days before their deaths, he said Mrs Gaskell told how her idealistic view of life in India had been shattered by the reality.
Mr Pyke said her husband 'hated social injustice' and had been 'depressed' in the run-up to their travels.
Alluding to Romeo and Juliet, the architect told The Times: 'Something could have triggered James into a bit of a despair and, you know, he does something daft and she follows.
'They’re both philosophical characters.
'They were incredibly close and although I would have said Alex was inherently a much stronger personality and more balanced, I could conceive of a situation where, if James could take his life, then Alex could follow him.'
The shocking scene in their hotel room is a stark contrast to the happy image that Mrs Gaskell, 24, had posted a few days earlier of the couple smiling in front of a temple in Delhi.
Her 27-year-old husband had posted a series of messages on Twitter outlining his casual attitude to drugs.
His final tweet, on Sunday, two days before their bodies were found, said how easy they were to obtain in India.
‘Codeine under the counter here. With Valium, Xanax and Lyrica. Winning,’ he wrote. Earlier he said: ‘One prescription in India (after you have told the doctor what to write) will take you faaaaaar...’
In another post he said: ‘I am absolutely off my face on drugs.’
Tragic waste: Mr Gaskell pictured as a schoolboy
India is a popular destination for drugs tourists keen to acquire powerful prescription medicines from chemists, with few questions asked. It is unclear whether the couple died from an overdose of prescription drugs or from another substance.
Although Mr Gaskell made no secret of his craving for pills, relatives of his wife insisted yesterday she was anti-drugs.
The couple, who married last November, were found dead in the Hotel Maya in Agra. As well as strips of coloured capsules, police discovered a prescription for the anti-anxiety drug diazepam.
Mr Gaskell was found lying on his side while his wife was slumped in a crouched position. There was evidence in the room that one or both of them had been sick.
Rajesh Gupta, who owns the hotel which is a popular haunt for backpackers, said the couple checked in on Monday night.
He said: ‘Later they ordered the dinner at 9pm and by 10pm our room service went with dinner. He knocked on the door and James Gaskell opened the door and took the dinner – he didn’t allow our employee inside the room and closed the door.
‘They booked only for one night and were supposed to inform us about an extended stay.
‘When they didn’t come down, our hotel staff knocked their door at 11:30 am on Tuesday, but there was no response and door was locked inside. He informed the manager quickly who later informed the police.
‘Later police arrived and found that both were dead on the bed. Both the television and air conditioner were on.
Died: James Gaskell, 27, and his wife Alexandra, 24, pictured together in India just weeks before their death
Drugs paraphernalia: Police found these strips of tablets - thought to be sleeping pills and anti-depressants - next to the couple's bodies on the bed in their hotel room along with bottles cough syrup (not pictured)
James and Alex Gaskell 'may have killed themselves in despair at India's grinding poverty' | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
James and Alex Gaskell 'may have killed themselves in despair at India's grinding poverty' | Daily Mail Online
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