Remains found in River Severn thought to be 25-year-old who went missing last year
A name has been put to the tragic case of human remains found in the River Severn in Shropshire earlier this year.
It has been revealed that Huw David Williams, aged 25, a writer and musician from Sherwood, in Nottingham, who went missing from home on May 6, 2021, may be connected to the discovery of human remains in Shropshire in May of this year.
An inquest held in Nottinghamshire on June 10 was told that on January 2, 2022, Mr Williams’ foot was discovered on the banks of the River Severn near Chepstow, Gloucestershire.
Nottinghamshire’s assistant coroner Laurinda Bower was told at the time that the remainder of his body has never been found. Mr Williams had been born on April 14, 1996 in the London suburb of Kingston upon Thames and his usual address was given as Upton-by-Cheshire.
But unbeknown to her shortly before 9.15am on May 21 this year West Mercia Police received a call from a kayaker who had spotted what they believed to be human remains in the River Seven at Cressage, between Shrewsbury and Much Wenlock. Officers attended with colleagues from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service. The remains were removed from the water and confirmed to be human. It is thought they were in the water for a significant amount of time.
A formal inquest was due to be held in Shropshire this week but it was removed from the calendar with the coroner’s office saying that an inquest has already been held in Nottinghamshire. A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: “There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and the family wish for their privacy to be respected.”
The medical cause of Mr Williams’ death remains as unascertained. The Nottinghamshire assistant coroner was told that an extensive missing persons investigation was conducted by Nottinghamshire Police, which had concluded that Mr Williams is likely deceased.
A report from the coroner’s office in Nottinghamshire said: “This is based on the fact that Mr Williams has made no contact whatsoever with his family or friends since he was reported missing and this is entirely out of character, and that Mr Williams had not used his bank account since he was reported missing, despite having a positive balance, and this is out of character for him, and there had been no confirmed sightings of Mr Williams.”
The inquest heard that it is not unusual for bodies that enter the River Severn to remain undiscoverable due to the fast flowing water and tidal range.
Her conclusion was given as open as she had been unable to determine how Mr Williams came by his death.
