Mystery still surrounds the death of Huw Williams who went missing from a house in Sherwood before his remains were found by a river bank more than 130 miles away. An inquest into his death was held at the Council House in Nottingham on Friday, June 10, and the coroner was satisfied that Mr Williams had died after a lengthy police investigation.
The inquest heard that Mr Williams' foot was found on the banks of the River Severn on January 2, 2022. DNA samples taken by police from Huw's toothbrush provided a match with the discovery on Severndale Lane in the tiny village of Tidenham in Chepstow, Gloucestershire - the other remains of his body have never been found.
The 25-year-old, who is originally from Chester, was reported missing on May 6, 2021 - his last known address was in Danethorpe Vale, in Sherwood. Police and forensics spent 10 days searching the house as part of their investigation. The inquest heard that Mr Williams had been living with his partner in Nottingham, moving around Christmas of 2020.
Read more: Neighbours 'heartbroken' after remains found in search for missing Huw Williams
A pathologist said that DNA analysis taken from the foot, which had been found still inside a trainer, provided an almost complete DNA profile of Huw Williams. There was no apparent evidence of disease or trauma, instead the foot was consistent with having been loosened in water for a prolonged period of time.
The pathologist was not in a position to provide a cause of death which was instead provided by the coroner as 'unascertained'. Detective Chief Inspector Richard Bull, of Nottinghamshire Police, took over the investigation into Mr Williams' disappearance in September last year, explaining how Mr Williams was initially reported as missing.
DCI Bull said: "He was reported missing in the early hours of the morning by his partner from their address. She had gone downstairs and realised he was no longer within the address. A short time after she reported that to the police.
"He hadn't said that he was intending to go out and hadn't taken his wallet, he didn't have his phone. She'd initially spent about an hour looking for him in her car but found no trace of him - we believe he left on foot."
Police exhausted multiple lines of enquiry while they desperately searched for him, with the force and his family issuing high-profile, national public appeals, reviewing CCTV footage and his financial records. Mr Williams had not taken any money out of his bank account, despite it being available to him from the moment he went missing.
When asked if there was now significant evidence that Huw was no longer alive, DCI Bull replied: "Yes, Ma'am." Mr Williams' foot had been found by a member of the public who was out for a walk with her partner and their dog at around 10am on January 2 this year.
After seeing the shoe they found that, on closer inspection, there was still the skeletal remains of a foot inside - they then rang the local police force who attended the scene. The inquest heard that Mr Williams had no links to Gloucestershire, however he did like to travel to rural areas to go wild camping as part of his lifestyle.
DCI Bull said that, after liaising with Gloucestershire Police, the force were told that the bodies of those who were thought to have entered the water have often never been found. This is due to fast flowing water and the range of tides in the River Severn.
There is no longer an open criminal investigation into Mr Williams' death and no more lines of enquiry for police to follow up on, according to DCI Bull. His disappearance became a huge national news story and Nottinghamshire Police received more 100 'sightings' of Mr Williams after widespread media appeals but none of these offered any concrete evidence for them to look into - the force still does not know how he got to that area or how he came to die.
Mr Williams had autism and was described as a deeply caring and loving person who made "friends with everybody". Neighbours in Danethorpe Vale, who said they had previously seen him working on horse boxes, said he seemed a "nice chap" who "seemed lovely".
He leaves behind his dad Steve, mother Mary, younger sisters Sarah and Eva as well as younger brother Ewan. His dad Steve, who issued a desperate plea just before Christmas in the hope of finding his son, also spoke last month over "so many questions that remain unanswered".
Laurinda Bower, assistant coroner for Nottinghamshire, told the inquest that she was satisfied, based on police evidence, that Mr Williams was dead. She said: "Mr Williams is likely deceased based on the following factors: there has been no contact between Mr Williams and his friends and family which is out of character for him.
"There have been no bank transactions since he was reported missing and no confident sightings of Mr Williams since he was reported missing. His foot has been discovered and it was determined that it has likely been in the water for a long period of time and has more likely than not become detached by the process of decomposition. It is not unusual for bodies in the water to remain undiscoverable due to the fast flowing water and tidal range."
She added: "I wish to express to Huw's family and friends my sincere condolences on their loss. It's incredibly disappointing that I am not in a position to provide them with further answers on the circumstances of their loved one's death. They have my very sincere thoughts at this difficult time."
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