Rinica Warner: Family ‘may never know’ why popular Sheffield mum collapsed and died on Penistone Road

Dad Jayson Warner says doctors have still been unable to figure out what caused daughter Rinica to collapse next to Penistone Road late last year, after dropping her son off for dancing lessons.

He paid tribute to the NHS team who battled to try to save her, before her death.

Rinica’s family are now preparing for her funeral, at Sheffield Cathedral, which is due to be held next week, with a large number of mourners expected to pay their last respects to the popular local government officer.

Tests are still due to be carried out on tissue samples, but Jayson said: “We’ve been told to be prepared for when they come back, that they may not be able to find anything. We would like to know what happened, but they have done two post mortems and still don’t know.”

Rinica’s funeral

But for now the family is concentrating on getting through the funeral on Thursday.

“We just want people to wear something bright – Rinica was a bright person, so we want people to reflect that. We want it to be a celebration of her life,” said Jayson.

The funeral starts at 11am, followed by cremation at Hutcliffe Wood at 12.30pm. Donations to the charity Neurocare can be given at the service.

Shocked relatives were devastated by the loss of Sheffield Council officer Rinica, from Parson Cross, who died in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital last month, two days after having been admitted after collapsing.

Her dad thanked passers-by who stopped to help his daughter, as well as businesses who went out of their way to help, and paid tribute to the NHS staff for their efforts to save Rinica after she was brought in to the Northern General Hospital, before she was moved to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

She leaves a five-year-old son Isaac, his father, Austin, and her mum and dad, Tracey and Jayson.

Jayson said shortly after losing his daughter: “I just wanted to thank the NHS In Sheffield for the support and amazing work they did trying to save her life.”