Man found dead in undergrowth near Wrexham primary school following 'strong odour', inquest hears

The body of a man was discovered in the undergrowth near a primary school in north Wales following a "strong odour", an inquest has heard.

Jamie Cameron Cuffin's body was found lying face down in Bellevue Park by members of staff from St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Wrexham in June 2022.

The 31-year-old was discovered weeks after he was last seen.

The inquest, which was held at Ruthin County Hall on January 19, heard how the school made contact with North Wales Police after reports of a "strong odour coming from the grounds".

Officers attended the scene later in the afternoon and confirmed Mr Cuffin had died.

In a statement read at the hearing, Mr Cuffin's mother, Andrea, said that although she hadn't seen her son for five years prior to his death, she "loved him unconditionally and always will".

Mr Cuffin was last seen on CCTV on 17 May 2022 after being released from a short stay in custody.

Medical evidence from pathologist Dr Zain Mehdi was only able to build a "limited" picture around the cause of death given the condition his body was found in.

Dr Mehdi added that he was unable to carry out a full post mortem, including a blood and urine test, but a muscle biopsy revealed traces of amphetamine. Though traces of the drug were found in his system, pathologists were unable to measure its concentration and whether this played a role in his death.

The condition of Mr Cuffin's body also meant they were unable to assess for any pre-existing conditions and the cause of death was concluded as "unascertained".

Senior coroner for North Wales east and central, John Gittins, said there was not enough evidence to say what happened between when Mr Cuffin was last seen and when his body was discovered weeks later.

However, he ruled out foul play after Mr Cuffin was found with around £200 in cash. An open conclusion was recorded.