Mental health probe over man found dead in river

Inquiries are ongoing to establish if a man found dead in a river was known to mental health services, a coroner has said.

Martyn Richardson's disappearance in Bocking, near Braintree, Essex, sparked a manhunt lasting almost three months from last August.

The 27-year-old was last seen at a family gathering before being found by a volunteer search party in the nearby River Blackwater on 16 November.

Opening the inquest into his death, area coroner Michelle Brown said Mr Richardson's cause of death had been "unascertained".

Mr Richardson, who had Asperger's syndrome, was identified through dental records, the brief hearing at Essex Coroner's Court was told.

Ms Brown said she was awaiting further reports from police before the inquest could proceed further.

Family members made several emotional appeals for Mr Richardson's return before his body was found.

He had lived with his grandmother, Mary Richardson, in Braintree since the age of one.

She previously told BBC Essex that Mr Richardson was "absolutely fine" when he left the party, adding: "There were no obvious signs of anything."

Mrs Richardson described the uncertainty that followed as "an absolute nightmare".

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