Richie Kilbourne's family asked him to come home with them on night before he died at North Shields flat; Mystery still surrounds loving father's death.
Byline: By, Sophie Doughty
Paralysed by grief and unanswered questions Richie Kilbourne's family say they will never be able to move on until they know how he came to die aged just 36.
It has now been almost five months since the loving dad's body was found at his home in North Shields.
But still his devastated loved ones have now idea how he died or why.
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Northumbria Police are still investigating Richie's death, while two people arrested as part of the probe remain under investigation.
Speaking for the first time since the tragedy, his daughter Brittany Hoggarth and mum Chantelle Hoggarth have lifted the lid on their ongoing agony.
And Chantelle has revealed how she asked her son to come and stay with her just hours before he was found dead.
The 56-year-year-old said: "I'm not sleeping, it just goes over and over in my head. I have heard all these rumours and I just want some closure.
"I know these things do take a long time, but I'm not letting it go until I find out what happened."
Richie was a devoted dad who would do anything for the people he cared about, his family said.
Despite spending much of his life in and out of jail and struggling with drink and drugs problems he was always there for his three daughters.
And he became a proud granddad to Keano, now two, and baby Esme who was born just weeks before he died.
Chantelle said: "He was a happy-go-lucky person. He helped so many people, but I think that's what made him vulnerable. He would help anybody and he would do anything for anyone.
We are a close family, he came to see me every single day to make sure I was alright.
On the night before Richie died his family got a phone call from someone nearby saying Richie was extremely intoxicated, they said.
But when Chantelle and Brittany went to check on him, at his flat on Howdon Road, he was fine.
Chantelle however, asked her son to come and stay with her at her home in East Howdon, Wallsend.
"I was worried about him," she said. "I said: 'Are you going to come home with me"
But Richie declined the offer, and that was the last time Chantelle saw her son alive.
On the morning of Friday September 3 the family were called again with the devastating news that Richie had died.
"I got a taxi straight down and the police and ambulance were already there when I arrived," said Brittany. "Then the paramedics told us he was dead."
Richie's funeral was held at Tynemouth...
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