SHE DIED HOLDING A PHOTO OF HER FOUR CHILDREN — YEARS AFTER THEY WERE TAKEN FROM HER

Michelle Pearson survived the fire that killed her four children, but spent the rest of her life fighting devastating injuries. Now, a long-delayed inquest is examining whether the tragedy could have been prevented.

For Michelle Pearson, the photograph was more than a picture.

It was a final connection to the four children she had lost.

When the 37-year-old mother finally died in hospital, nearly two years after a devastating fire destroyed her family, she was holding a photograph of her four children — with a crucifix placed around her hand.

Her family later told an inquest that they believed Michelle was finally reunited with the children she had spent her final years mourning.

The heartbreaking detail emerged Monday at Bolton Coroner’s Court, where an inquest into the deaths of Michelle and her four children has begun nearly nine years after the devastating attack in Walkden, Greater Manchester.

FOUR CHILDREN LOST IN ONE NIGHT

The tragedy began in the early hours of December 11, 2017.

Michelle was at home with her children when two men, Zak Bolland and David Worrall, launched petrol bombs into the family’s home on Jackson Street.

The resulting fire rapidly engulfed the three-bedroom house.

Demi Pearson, 15, Brandon, 8, and Lacie, 7, were killed in the blaze.

Their three-year-old sister, Lia, was rescued alive but died in hospital two days later.

Michelle survived the fire but suffered burns covering approximately 68 percent of her body.

Her eldest son, Kyle, who was 16 at the time, managed to escape through a window.

What followed was another devastating chapter.

Michelle spent months in a coma and underwent extensive medical treatment as she fought to survive.

She eventually died on August 25, 2019 — around 20 months after the fire.

Her death later led prosecutors to pursue murder convictions against Bolland and Worrall in connection with her death as well.

SHE HAD WARNED THAT HER FAMILY WAS NOT SAFE

The new inquest is now focusing attention on what happened in the weeks before the fire.

According to evidence presented to the court, Michelle had repeatedly told authorities that she was frightened for herself and her children.

Her home had already been targeted.

Windows were smashed.

Her rubbish bin was set on fire.

Graffiti appeared on the walls.

And the family was caught in an escalating feud.

Michelle had reportedly been desperate to leave the property and seek safer accommodation.

Her mother, Sandra Lever, told the inquest that Michelle was becoming increasingly distressed and that her children were frightened to remain in the home.

One of the children, Brandon, had even told his mother that he did not want to live there anymore, the hearing was told.

A neighbor also described seeing Bolland smashing the windows of Michelle’s home with a hammer just weeks before the fatal fire.

Michelle, the neighbor said, was exhausted and desperate to get away.

FIVE POLICE CONTACTS IN TWO WEEKS

The questions surrounding the tragedy go beyond the actions of the men who carried out the attack.

Relatives have argued that the deaths may have been preventable and have raised concerns about whether authorities missed opportunities to protect the family.

Michelle had reportedly contacted police five times during the two weeks before the attack.

She had also raised concerns about her safety and sought help with moving from the property.

The family’s concerns are now central to the inquest, which is examining whether there was a foreseeable threat to their lives and whether anything could or should have been done differently.

Senior Coroner Timothy Brennand stressed that the inquest was not a criminal trial or an attempt to assign blame.

Instead, it is intended to examine what happened and whether there were failures that could have changed the outcome.

THE ATTACK WAS PART OF AN ESCALATING FEUD

The court has previously heard that the fire was the culmination of a series of retaliatory incidents.

Bolland and Worrall had been involved in a dispute connected to Michelle’s teenage son.

On the night of the attack, the two men prepared petrol bombs before returning to the Pearson home.

One petrol bomb was thrown through a rear window and ignited.

The second caused a much more powerful explosion, sending flames through the house and trapping the family upstairs.

Bolland and Worrall were convicted of murdering the four children and received life sentences.

Bolland was ordered to serve a minimum of 40 years, while Worrall was given a minimum term of 37 years.

Bolland’s girlfriend, Courtney Brierley, was also convicted of four counts of manslaughter and sentenced to 21 years in prison.

In 2021, Bolland and Worrall were also convicted in connection with Michelle’s death.

HER LAST MOMENTS WERE WITH HER CHILDREN

Yet years later, it is not the courtroom sentences that have become the most haunting detail of Michelle’s story.

It is the image of a mother holding on to the memory of her children until the very end.

After surviving a fire that took four of them, Michelle spent almost two years living with devastating injuries and the unimaginable loss of her children.

When she finally died, her family placed a photograph of Demi, Brandon, Lacie and Lia in her hand.

A crucifix was wrapped around it.

Her family told the hearing:

“We know that she is back with her children.”

Nearly nine years after the fire, the Pearson family’s story is once again before a court.

But this time, the question is not simply who was responsible.

It is whether the warning signs were there — and whether someone could have acted before a terrified family lost everything.

The inquest is continuing.