How does someone who lights up every room go unseen for almost three years? Joyce Carol Vincent was renowned by those who knew her as a bubbly, vibrant woman who had her whole life ahead of her. And the story of how she died is just as heartbreaking as how she disappeared – quietly and without anyone realising.
On 25 January 2006, Joyce, 38 was found deceased in her bedsit in Wood Green, London surrounded by wrapped Christmas presents and half written Christmas cards. Her body wasn’t discovered for nearly three years – left alone silently, while the world outside kept moving.
Over time, Joyce’s unpaid bills piled up. Eventually, housing officials forced their way into the flat and behind the door, stacks of unopened letters waited, with the dull sound of the television still humming. In the living room, they found her body. Tragically too severely deteriorated for a reliable autopsy, Joyce was only identified through dental records – matched against a holiday photo of her smiling.
Astonishingly, the heating and TV were still on in Joyce’s flat, but neighbours had no idea she was lying dead for so long. When they noticed a faint smell, they just assumed it was the local bins also assuming the flat was empty.
Joyce’s death was estimated at some point in December 2003, with the cause believed to be either an asthma attack or complications from a recent peptic ulcer, but an inquest recorded an open verdict. Pathologist Dr Simon Poole told the inquest he was unable to establish the official cause of death as her remains were ‘largely skeletal.’
The question of how she died remains largely unanswered, but the harder question is – how did no-one notice she was gone? Joyce certainly wasn’t invisible, in fact those who knew her would go as far to say she was unforgettable. She lit up every room she walked into and was even described as magnetic.
Joyce was born on 19th October 1965 in Hammersmith, London and lived with her mother and four older sisters, until her mum passed away when Joyce was just 11. After that, her sisters took care of her. It is unclear whether her father lived with them before, but what is known is their relationship was strained.
From a young age, Joyce had a spark and was full of life. At school, she would often perform in the playground, drawing crowds of teachers, dinner ladies and children. She left school at 16 without any qualifications, but that didn’t hinder her. She quickly began working as a secretary. Although this was a good job, she dreamed of becoming a professional singer. That dream never came true, but she stayed close to the music world – making friends in the industry, and even meeting Nelson Mandela at Wembley Stadium, the Daily Mail reports.
Speaking to The Guardian, Joyce’s ex boyfriend Alistair Abrahams revealed how she would often distance herself from her past. “Have you ever seen the movie The Man with No Name? That’s how she was – she came with no past,” he said. “She was a chameleon in many ways – she adapted to the environment she was in.”
Joyce sadly began to disappear before she died; not from the world but from the people in it. She sadly cut communication with friends and loved ones, resigning from her job in 2001 and moving into a bed sit shelter for victims of domestic abuse, the inquest heard.
After her death, newspapers ran headlines asking “did you know Joyce Vincent?” But some of the very people who knew her well, still didn’t realise it was her. They couldn’t connect the woman found so alone to the vibrant Joyce they once knew – that’s how far she drifted. Her life has been explored in a documentary titled Dream of a life. The filmmaker sets out to discover her life, speaking to her former lovers, old friends even her old school teachers.
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