A UK court has heard details of the moment a police search team discovered New Zealander Joseph Day's body, after a five-day search ended when his phone was heard ringing at the bottom of a gorge.
An inquest into 31-year-old Day's death was heard at Avon Coroner's Court in Bristol.
Bristol World reported that the court heard that Day's body was found 30m down the cliffside in Avon Gorge and needed to be recovered by a specialist ropes team.
A post-mortem found he had sustained "multiple injuries" in a fall and a toxicology report did not show any "significant findings".
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.Tragically, his family received the news that a body had been found just as they were boarding a flight from New Zealand to join the search.
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/VVLI4EI23E36TSWKUDALNENBXI.jpg)
A statement from Day's fiancee Kelsey Mulcahy was read aloud in court that described the former TVNZ cameraman as a "kind, gentle and incredibly handsome" man who "loved life".
Mulcahy was in London on the day her fiance went missing and became concerned when he stopped replying to text messages around 9.30pm after previously telling her he planned to "just chill" at the home they shared in Clifton.
When she returned the next day she found his work clothes hanging ready for him, their bed still made and a HelloFresh food delivery sitting at the door.
The court heard that Day's disappearance was out of character for a man who constantly stayed in touch with family, with his mother revealing one of his final texts to her was saying everything was "all sweet" with his life in the UK.
Bristol World reported that Mulcahy and Day's family maintained that his death was accidental, revealing one of his final journal entries, and discounting speculation that he died by suicide.
"From the moment the police gave me the news, I never once thought that Joseph did this to himself, not even later in my grief," Mulcahy said.
"He journalled, meditated and exercised daily. His mental health was great and he was devoted to me."
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.Mulcahy said that when police gave her back his journal, she saw one of his final entries was: "I am the happiest I have ever been."
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/H6ILFLZL7WNBXGXJIAW6RRIS7E.jpg)
She criticised the police response that initially labelled his disappearance as "low risk".
"It was obvious that the police didn't want to prioritise it," she said. "That only came after the media started to show interest."
Detective Superintendent James Cassidy, the lead officer when Day was found, reported his body was found near a ledge that offers the "clearest and most uninterrupted view" of the nearby Clifton Suspension Bridge, but said there was no way to know if he climbed the ledge for that reason.
Maria Voisin, the Senior Coroner for Avon, said that limited evidence meant a conclusion of accidental death or suicide would be speculative.
She recorded an open conclusion, noting that the exact date he died, and how he died, would remain unknown.
