A "HAPPY young woman" may have hanged herself while sleepwalking after hearing stories about a suicide in her flat, an inquest has heard.

Carissa Glenn, 18, was found dead on April 14 after hanging herself with a pink scarf from her shower rail.

The inquest in Truro heard that Miss Glenn, who had a history of sleepwalking, told her family that she had been suffering nightmares after being told that a woman had hanged herself in the apartment.

The talented pianist moved from her family home in Leeds to an apartment in St Ives shortly after finishing her A-Levels.

When she moved into the flat, Miss Glenn was told that another female occupant of the flat had hanged herself – police later found the story to be untrue.

In the weeks leading up to her death, Miss Glenn rang her family three times, complaining of a presence in the flat.

Her sister Lara said: "She was always spooked by the supernatural. She believed there was a presence in the flat and would mention it two or three times a week.

"She was always talking about her dreams, they were vivid. She must have been asleep or half-conscious when she died."

Miss Glenn, who wanted to become a police officer, was popular with staff at the Sloop Inn where she worked as a barmaid.

The inquest heard that the day before she died Miss Glenn worked a shift at the bar before having several drinks with friends and leaving in the early hours.

When she didn't turn up for work the following day, work colleagues broke into her flat and found her body.

Recording an open verdict, deputy assistant coroner Dr Peter Blackwell-Smythe said: "There was concern about a local rumour that someone had hanged themselves in the flat where she was living.

"And then there was the matter of her vivid nightmares, which were a disturbance for her.

"It appears she was a happy young woman who was vivacious. I appreciate concerns about her sleepwalking and her nightmares.

"It would be reasonable to leave the verdict open, although I believe the evidence strongly suggests she did take her own life."

The inquest also heard that Miss Glenn had been upset by the death of a friend and news that her ex-boyfriend was to get married.

A statement from her family described Miss Glenn as a "strikingly beautiful girl, intelligent and vivacious with everything to live for.

"Many who love her and feel very close to her are still shocked and mystified by her sudden death.

"None who knew her will ever forget her."