A missing County Durham man may have died because of drugs he took before he disappeared, hypothermia, drowning, or a combination of all three, an inquest heard.

It was ‘impossible’ to say exactly how Braydon Wright died, Crook Coroner’s Court was told.

The 22-year-old disappeared from his home in Willington, County Durham on October 20 last year, sparking a major missing persons search.

The loving dad-of-twins was found deceased by mountain rescue teams more than six weeks later on December 6, about two miles away near a beck in Hunwick, also County Durham.

The Northern Echo: Braydon Wright.Braydon Wright. (Image: Durham Police)

An inquest held into his death on Friday (March 22) concluded he died of misadventure.

Braydon, who loved drawing and playing guitar, was last seen at about 5pm on the day he went missing, and his phone, which has never been recovered, was last used at 10.30pm that night.

On October 20 Storm Babet had battered the North East and weather conditions were “extremely poor”, Assistant Coroner Janine Richards said.

Detective Inspector Gareth Hodgson, who led the search, told the court police believed Braydon may have been walking to a friend's house that night when in the bad weather he “found himself in a state of hypothermia while under the influence of substances and got himself into trouble”.

Toxicology reports found Braydon, who the coroner was told had struggled with his mental health and substance abuse for a number of years but had been off drugs for a while, had a prescribed drug called buprenorphine, and “likely recreational” drugs etizolam and pregabalin in his system.

The Northern Echo: An inquest was held at Crook Coroners Court on Friday (March 22).An inquest was held at Crook Coroners Court on Friday (March 22). (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

It heard the young man had been doing “weekly negative drug tests”, but that the substances may have had a different effect on him that day due to being clean for a while.

Pathologist Dr Mulchay recorded his cause of death as acute drug toxicity.

The inquest heard how his clothes were found in a farmer’s field about one to two hundred meters away, and how Braydon’s cap had been found by a walker. He was found in just his T-shirt and underwear.

The court was told shedding of clothes can be a sign of hypothermia.

But it couldn’t be said for sure whether Braydon had hypothermia, or drowned, Dr Mulchay said, as his body was in a state which masked evidence of either.

Coroner Ms Richards said: “It’s impossible to ascertain precisely how Braydon died, and whether this was drug toxicity in and of itself, and/or hypothermia, and/or drowning.”

The 22-year-old was found about a metre from a beck near Rough Lee Lane in Hunwick.

The inquest heard Braydon, a father to two-year-old twins Ollie and Cole, was “excited about [his sons’] upcoming birthday in November 2023”.

The Northern Echo: Braydon Wright.Braydon Wright. (Image: DURHAM POLICE)

In a pen portrait read to the court mum Gemma Wright, said: “He was a very loving, quiet lad who hated drama and lived for his twins and a peaceful life.

“The greatest joy in his life was his twin boys. He absolutely adored them – they were his life. He loved seeing them, watching them grow and learn new things. It breaks my heart to know that he would have never wanted to leave them.

Recommended reading:

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. Get access for 4 months for just £4, or get 40% off an annual subscription with our latest offer. Click here.

“Before he disappeared he was about to go back to college as his dream was to be a tattooist. His drawing skills were exceptional. He loved playing the guitar, he played nearly every day until the day he died.

“Braydon made some bad choices in his life to help him cope with things he endured by someone he should have been able to trust. He would tell you that himself if he was here.”

The budding tattooist had been due to go back to college to pursue a career in the art.

Concluding the inquest Ms Richards told the family: “I would like to pay credit to how brave you have been in such trying and tragic, traumatic circumstances. I am so so sorry.”