An inquest has heard an unknown person likely has more information about how a father was found dead near a canal, but did not directly contribute to his death. After his ex-partner reported him missing, Robert Chatwin, of Regent Street, Long Eaton, was found deceased in marshland between the River Erewash and a canal in Long Eaton.
Mr Chatwin was reported missing on April 5, 2019, after he uncharacteristically left one of his daughters unattended at home. His two daughters described him as "adored". The 37-year-old labourer had never done anything like this in the past, which left Mr Chatwin's ex-partner and mother shocked, reports Derbyshire Live.
Mr Chatwin was last seen walking along the canal path in Long Eaton by an acquaintance. CCTV supported this, showing Mr Chatwin, who was unsteady on his feet at the time, walking in the direction of the canal.
READ MORE: Dad found dead near canal two days after going missing
The inquest into Mr Chatwin's death heard that a group of dog walkers had been walking along the canal shortly after this. One woman recalled seeing a man, wearing clothes similar to what Mr Chatwin was wearing, falling into the reeds in the distance.
Another, Karen Tenant, heard cries of help coming from the bottom of an embankment at the edge of the canal path. She approached the area and told the hearing she thought the voice sounded like the person "may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs".
She informed the voice she was going to phone the police, when a different voice shouted back, "we're just messing about". Despite this Ms Tenant still rang the police.
Due to the number of immediate responses police were dealing with, officers attended the scene two hours later but by then it was dark. The decreased visibility, combined with a lack of an "effective search", meant the attending officers reported that the area was clear.
Area Coroner Mr Peter Nieto said: "Although there was no effective search, it is reasonably possible by the time officers attended Robert was already dead. It would be speculation to suggest police contributed to his death".
Referencing the second voice Ms Tenant heard, Mr Nieto said that it was "clear" somebody else was with Mr Chatwin in the early evening of April 5. However, he said it couldn't be established that third-party involvement contributed to his death due to a lack of conclusive evidence and a post mortem which indicated no signs of assault.
Mr Nieto said: "It is likely the person or persons have information about Robert's death. Unfortunately, police have exhausted all leads in relation to finding the person who might know more about this incident."
Two days later, Ms Tenant saw a Facebook post from Ms Riley about Mr Chatwin's disappearance. She rang police about what she had witnessed on April 5 and offered to show them exactly where the incident happened.
In the early hours of Monday, April 8, 2019, Ms Tenant, along with police officers, visited the area where she had heard the calls for help. She told the hearing: "It was pitch black, one officer went left of where the shouts were from and the other went right. It took them less than five minutes to find a body".
Mr Chatwin's medical cause of death was suffocation due to mud inhalation within the context of multiple drug toxicity. A toxicology report found a mix of prescription and illicit drugs in Mr Chatwin's system at this time of his death.
Concluding, Mr Nieto provided a narrative conclusion, saying: "On the balance of probability, Robert died due to lying face down in mud in a drug and alcohol state, he inhaled mud leading to suffocation. The events leading to him falling into mud are unknown.
"The individuals who were with him on April 5 would have greater information about his death."
Mr Chatwin's inquest was held at Derby Coroner's Court and concluded on Friday July 8.
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