Coroner Joe McCrisken warned there will be people tonight and in the coming weeks who will face the same ‘lethal’ risk that led to Chloe’s death
A lethal combination of cocaine, ketamine and alcohol led to the death of Belfast beautician Chloe Ferris, who was found unresponsive in a Belfast night club toilet.
An inquest into the 24-year-old’s death was held at Belfast’s Laganside Court on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, just over a year following her tragic death. She died after being found unresponsive in Lux nightclub on Dunbar Street in the early hours of Sunday, December 1, during a night out to celebrate her birthday.
The hearing heard that prior to attending Lux, Chloe had been drinking at her house with a group of friends before they got a lift to a bar in Belfast City Centre where they stayed for a few hours.
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Statements given to police by two of Chloe’s friends who were with her, said that while they were there, Chloe used one of their phones to organise the purchase of cocaine, as she was embarrassed to use her own, and later collected it from a car close to the bar they were at.
The hearing heard that using cocaine was something “out of character” for the 24-year-old and her friends, however she had purchased the drug at least one time prior.
Following this, the group took some of the drug in the bar toilet before later going on to Lux nightclub at around 1am.
CCTV from the nightclub showed Chloe and her friend going into a toilet cubicle at around 1.17am, with staff becoming concerned when they did their regular check on the toilets and found the door had not opened again in around 30mins. The toilet of the nightclub was surrounded by concrete walls and a thick door, with only a small opening and Lux staff climbed on each other’s shoulders to look through this where they saw that Chloe and her friend were unconscious inside it.
The emergency services were then contacted at around 1.55am, with the fire service arriving in three minutes and the ambulance service in five, which was considered a “speedy” response.
After being taken to the toilets, paramedics and the fire service managed to determine where the two women were in the toilet and used a reciprocal saw in order to remove the door.
During this, paramedics were able to see the position of the two women and saw that Chloe had fallen onto her knees with her head towards the door with her friend’s legs beneath her “as if she had fallen off of the toilet”.
Both women were removed from the toilets, with paramedics telling the hearing that they were unable to find a pulse for Chloe, while her friend “came around” and was able to get up to her feet. Following CPR, a pulse still could not be found for Chloe and she was pronounced dead within the hour.
The inquest heard that cocaine, ketamine and alcohol were later found in Chloe’s system, however it was noted that these were not in large amounts with Chloe’s blood alcohol level being 107mg per litre. The legal limit to drive is 80mg per litre.
However, the hearing heard that when taken together the drugs create a “lethal combination” that can have unpredictable results due to the person taking a stimulant and depressant at the same time. Mixing alcohol and cocaine can also have a “cardio toxic” effect, with the court hearing that cocaine can slow someone’s heart rate down in small doses.
Coroner Joe McCrisken said that he was of the opinion that the cocaine Chloe had purchased had been mixed with ketamine without her knowledge.
The inquest heard that the position that Chloe passed out in also played a critical factor in her death as she asphyxiated due to the position that she was in. Her weight may have also played a factor as she had a higher than average BMI.
Chloe’s cause of death was ultimately ruled as being caused by positional asphyxia alongside the combination of drugs that she had taken.
Coroner McCrisken said that he agreed with a previous statement made to the media by Chloe’s father Declan who said that taking drugs was like “playing Russian roulette” with your life.
He also issued a stark warning to people that “tonight and in the coming weeks” there will be many other people taking similar risks as Chloe did and they need to be aware fo the chances they are taking with their lives.
There is still an active criminal investigation regarding Chloe’s death.
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