Missing woman had been drinking, inquest told

The coroner said there was no evidence that Lucy Charles’s death had been a deliberate act, and said it was likely she had slipped into the river

A woman who was found dead on a riverbank three weeks after she went missing had been drinking heavily before she entered the water, an inquest has heard.

Lucy Charles, 39, from Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham, was last seen in the village on the evening of 22 December last year, with her belongings later discovered by North Wales Police on the banks of the River Dee.

The coroner’s court in Ruthin heard they included her handbag, an empty bottle of wine and a partially drunk bottle of vodka, suggesting she had been sitting drinking on the riverbank.

Coroner John Gittins, recording a conclusion of misadventure, said there was no evidence her death had been a deliberate act, and it was likely she had slipped into the river.

An extensive search involving underwater specialists, a helicopter and drones, led to her body being found on a riverbank in a remote location three miles (5km) downstream.

The court also heard how the weather conditions at the time of her disappearance had been poor, with prolonged heavy downpours, high river levels and a fast flow.

Mr Gittins said the cause of death was “immersion in water, and acute alcohol intoxication.”

A post-mortem examination discovered alcohol levels of 308 mg per litre of blood, which is more than three-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit.

Codeine was also discovered “at therapeutic levels”, but Dr Huyam Abdalsalam, a pathologist, said mixing the drug with alcohol could have had an “enhanced sedative effect”.

The inquest heard on the day she went missing, Ms Charles had been dropped off at the GP surgery in Bangor-on-Dee by her partner, Ian Beech, to collect a prescription for back pain medication.

She was later seen buying vodka from the village shop.