‘Beautiful’ bride found dead in tanning booth

A mother-in-law has been left traumatised after she found her daughter-in-law laying on the floor of a tanning booth, unresponsive.

Tributes have been paid to a “beautiful” new bride who was found dead by her mother-in-law in a tanning salon.

Piata Tauwhare, 30, is believed to have tragically collapsed shortly after entering the booth.

It is believed the 30-year-old was already dead when her mother-in-law Emma Collyer-Miles, 42, reached her, The Sun reports.

The mental health support worker had been booked in for an 11-minute tanning session at Lextan in South Wales in the UK, on Saturday afternoon after spending the day with her husband Ifan Jones, 23.

But she is suspected to have suffered sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, collapsing to the ground in her upstanding tanning booth where she allegedly lay undiscovered for nearly two hours.

“Piata was the most wonderful, beautiful person in the world. She lit up my life and made me a better person,” Ifan told The Sun.

Stream your news live & on demand with Flash. From CNN International, Al Jazeera, Sky News, BBC World, CNBC & more. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

‘Beautiful’ bride found dead in tanning booth

“We had so many plans and so many things we wanted to do with our lives.

“Our hearts are broken without her and she died in the most appalling and tragic way.

“The fact that she lay undiscovered for nearly two hours breaks my heart.”

Piata and Ifan married in September after she moved from her native New Zealand and settled in Bristol where the couple met around two years ago.

They moved back to Ifan’s hometown of Swansea where they hoped to begin life as a young couple.

Piata had booked her tanning session on Saturday afternoon for 1.45pm but failed to return home or answer Ifan’s calls.

Desperate, he told his mother who visited the salon to see if her daughter-in-law had left her phone behind.

A staff member confirmed she had had a tan in one of the salon’s booths but that it was now empty.

But as she walked out, Emma was chased by the worker who said that Piata had been using a different booth – and that the door was locked.

The new bride suffered suspected sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.

A ‘gentle soul’

Emma tried desperately to unlock it and eventually forced it open – only to find her daughter-in-law collapsed on the ground, with no sign of breath.

She then frantically rang her son Ifan who dialled 999 for his mum before she called husband Martin.

Martin, a former soldier, raced to the scene and carried out CPR before medics arrived and battled for over an hour to save her.

But despite their best efforts, Piata was pronounced dead at 5.40pm at the tanning shop.

“As soon as I opened that door I knew she’d gone,” a shaken Emma said.

“It’ll stay with me forever.

“She was a quiet, gentle soul who would listen and be kind to anyone.

“She was an angel to us all and our world is a different place now that she’s gone.

“She had a heart of gold in every sense, her smile lit up the room.”

His stepfather Martin Collyer-Miles said: “They were just perfect for each other.

“Ifan and Piata had so much to look forward to, the rest of their lives.

“They’d rented a house with one another and were just getting started as a couple.

“It’s heartbreaking for all of us that she’s gone, especially in this way.”

The family are now raising money for Piata’s body to be flown home to New Zealand so she can be given a traditional Maori funeral.

Detective Inspector Gareth Jones said: “South Wales Police was called around 4.05pm on Saturday, 28th May, by the Welsh Ambulance Service following reports that the body of a woman had been found at commercial premises on Carmarthen Road, Fforestfach.

“Emergency services attended and found the body of a woman in her 30s.

“There are believed to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death. Her next of kin have been informed and a file has been passed to the coroner.”

A spokesman for Lextan said: “We can sadly confirm that a customer died while at our Fforestfach salon on Saturday, May 28th.

“We give our condolences to the deceased’s family and friends, and we have also offered counselling to any affected staff.

“We are co-operating with the investigation into this case by South Wales Police and any further inquiries should be made to them at this time.” You can support Piata’s family during this time here.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission