A mother whose body was recovered from a river in York probably took her own life, a coroner concluded.

Coroner Jon Heath said it was “more likely than not” that Louise Brown entered the River Ouse “with the intention of taking her own life”.

As The Press reported, her body was recovered from the river, near Love Lane, on Monday, July 31, 2023. Ms Brown’s death was confirmed at 3.55pm that day.

Mr Heath said the cause of her death was drowning.

An inquest concluded into the death of the 41-year-old, who lived in Fulford, on Wednesday (November 27).

The court was told that Ms Brown suffered from mental health problems before her death and had previously spoken of suicide.

She was reported missing to police after being last seen on Wednesday, July 26, in the Heslington Lane area.

At a previous hearing in February, Peter Smith, acting detective sergeant at North Yorkshire Police, said he did not believe there was any third-party involvement in Ms Brown’s death.

Two members of the public saw Ms Brown’s body in the River Ouse and contacted the emergency services.

The day before (Sunday, July 30), police officers found her car parked in Skeldergate, near Skeldergate Bridge.

Mr Heath said it had been parked there for “a few days”.

Police conducted searches of the area but had not realised the car belonged to Ms Brown initially, the inquest heard.

Ms Brown’s father questioned why it had taken police days to find the car.

“Was the search of the site fully tip top? It would appear from this not,” he said.

“I appreciate it wouldn’t have made any difference to the end result, but the car should have been found.”

Ms Brown’s mother told the court that her daughter was medically exempt from receiving parking tickets.

Sergeant Ryan Rudd, from North Yorkshire Police, attended the inquest and said he “assumed” officers thought the car had not been parked there long as it did not have a parking ticket.

'When she was well, she was an amazing mother'

Ms Brown’s parents described their daughter at the hearing in February.

“When she was well, she was an amazing mother. When she was poorly, she needed support,” Ms Brown’s mother said.

“She was so highly intelligent. Anything she set her mind to she would do it. She would work and work,” her father added.

Ms Brown’s father said his daughter worked hard during her studies at school and continued to do so in adult life.

She completed a sociology degree at the University of Bradford and a teaching qualification.

Ms Brown taught adults with learning difficulties while on placement at a college.

This led to her being offered a job there. 

“All the students there loved her. They thought she was fantastic,” Ms Brown’s father said.

But after facing trouble working with other adults at the college she left and never returned to teaching, the hearing was told.

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