‘OUR HEARTS BROKE ALL OVER AGAIN’
New heartbreak for Gaia Pope’s family as it’s revealed tragic teen died of hypothermia
An inquest was told the tragic teenager had died of hypothermia after she went missing on November 7 last year
GAIA Pope’s family have said their “hearts were broken all over again” after an inquest heard the teenager died of hypothermia.
Speaking after the inquest, Gaia’s cousin Marienna Pope-Weidemann said: "It was just a few days ago that the family received confirmation that Gaia died of hypothermia and our hearts broke all over again.
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"Dealing with their shock and grief, Gaia's parents, Natasha and Richard, and her sisters Clara and Maya, couldn't be here today.
"But they wanted me to thank all our loved ones, whose loyalty and support keeps us going as we try to make sense of our sudden and terrible loss.
"Every minute without Gaia feels like an hour and every hour without answers seems endless.
"Despite everything she went through, she remained loving, joyful and brave. Here was a bright and powerful young woman who wanted to devote her life to others. We will always be proud of her.
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"We know now what took her from us but when, how and why are all questions that must still be answered, not just for our sake but for the sake of the next family who wakes up in that nightmare someday.
"We are hopeful that the inquest will find those answers. The road is long but with your support we will get justice for Gaia."
The tragic 19-year-old student from Dorset, who suffered from severe epilepsy, was reported missing from her home near Swanage on November 7 last year.
She had not been seen for 11 days and her disappearance prompted a massive campaign from family and friends to find her.
Her body was found by police search teams in undergrowth between Dancing Ledge and Anvil Point, close to the Swanage coastal path, on November 18.
During the police investigation three people, two men aged 19 and 49 and a 71-year-old woman, were arrested.
They were released without any further action being taken.
The inquest was held at Bournemouth Town Hall, led by Coroner Rachael Griffin.
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Miss Griffith said: "I am aware the family have a number of concerns in relation to Gaia's death and some of those will be very relevant to my inquiry but some will not be.
"It is not that I am unsympathetic to those concerns but they simply fall outside my remit."
Coroner's officer Andrew Lord told the coroner that pathologist Dr Russell Delaney was initially unable to establish a cause of death.
Following tests Dr Delaney was later able to say that Miss Pope, who was single and lived at Langton Matravers, had died from hypothermia.
Mr Lord said Miss Pope was formally identified by a "distinctive" tattoo on her body.
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"Following the results of the post-mortem examination police have confirmed they are no longer treating the death as suspicious," Mr Lord said.
He confirmed to the coroner that the police did not believe there to be any third party involvement in her death.
The inquest will continue tomorrow.
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