A joint inquest will be held into the deaths of reclusive Littlemore mother and daughter Pauline and Caroline Jessett by the autumn.

Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter said yesterday the cause of death of Caroline, 50, had yet to be determined and investigations were ongoing, as he opened and adjourned her inquest.

The body of Caroline, who was unemployed and single, was “badly decomposed” when it was discovered by police last November in the pair’s Cowley Road home, and could only be identified by DNA.

Police entered the residence after environmental health officers raised concerns about the state of building.

The inquest into 78-year-old Pauline’s death was opened and adjourned in December and Mr Salter said he would be holding the hearing into their deaths as one inquest.