A former mayor and mother-of-one has been found dead at her home after telling friends she was struggling to cope during the coronavirus lockdown.
Samantha Dodd proudly served as her hometown mayor following in the family footsteps of her father, who had also been mayor.
The 45-year-old had been an active Conservative councillor for 11 years - but friends raised the alarm when she failed to return their calls and messages for more than 24 hours.
Police arrived at her two-bedroom cottage in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, where they tragically found her body. Friend Brian Butt, 71, said: "She was lovely and I had messages which caused me concern.