Woman, 39, whose body was found in swollen river 21 days after going missing 'likely slipped into the fast-flowing water after drinking next to it', inquest hears

A woman whose body was found in a swollen river 21 days after she was last seen had probably slipped in after drinking next to it, a coroner said today.

Lucy Charles, 39, was last seen the town where she lived in Bangor-on-Dee near Wrexham on December 22 when she was captured on CCTV walking past the Royal Oak pub wearing a yellow hi-vis tabard over her coat.

Her body was found on January 12 after a major search involving police, mountain rescue teams, the fire service and helicopters, in and around the river Dee which began before Christmas. 

Senior coroner John Gittins at Ruthin, North Wales, said the cause of death was immersion in water and acute alcohol intoxication.

He concluded that Ms Charles, who had recently lost her job at a pub, died from misadventure after ruling that 'having sat by the side of the river having a drink, she slipped into the water and sadly lost her life'. 

Mr Gittins stressed that the conclusion didn't suggest any criticism. 'I don't infer anything,' he declared. 

'When someone is found in these circumstances there can be lots of speculation.' 

Although her partner may have suggested to police it could have been a deliberate act by her, there was no evidence of this, so he ruled out suicide.

The coroner said: 'The most likely scenario is one where, having sat by the side of the river having a drink, she slipped into the water and sadly lost her life. 

'The level of alcohol in her system may well have been a factor in causing her to fall or slip in the river.'

He offered his 'sincere condolences' to Ms Charles's family who had lost a loved one but also had the 'added agony' of her being missing for a time.

The inquest heard how 5ft 6 Miss Charles was caught on CCTV walking past the Royal Oak pub, Bangor-on-Dee, on the Wales-England border, on December 22, wearing a yellow hi-vis tabard over her coat. 

She'd crossed a bridge over the river and her handbag, an empty white wine bottle and partly drunk bottle of vodka were discovered on Christmas Day. A local shop assistant said Ms Charles had told her she was 'fed up.'

DC Danielle Craig of North Wales police said it was thought she had gone to a footpath 'Riverside Walk' and her belongings were found on it. The weather had been 'very poor' with heavy, prolonged rain.

The ground was slippy and she would have been swept downstream. Ms Charles may have been struggling with alcohol, the inquest heard. 

Due to the height and force of the water, police divers couldn't go safely under the surface when their search commenced. A helicopter, drone and dogs were also involved in the search for Ms Charles.

On January 12 a PC from the regional underwater search team, spotted her muddy body face down in a remote part of the Dee, three miles from where she was thought to have gone into the water.

Pathologist Dr Huyam Abdalsalam said there were no injuries likely to have caused the death.

On social media, Ms Charles had been described as 'the most welcoming of people at The Sandstone Inn, that big smile and laughter after every other sentence.'