10:35am Friday 15th February 2008
By Katie Adams
THE death of an 81-year-old woman who fell into the River Avon near Chippenham was an accident, an inquest ruled on Wednesday.
Kathleen Morse, of Avon Weir Lane, Christian Malford, died in front of her husband Peter in September after falling into the river at Avon Weir, near to their home.
Mystery surrounds the circumstances of how Mrs Morse fell into the river, as the only witness to the accident was Mr Morse, who suffers from dementia and could not recall what happened.
Wiltshire coroner David Masters said the piece of the jigsaw would remain missing and it would never be known how Mrs Morse ended up in the water.
He said: "Mr Morse, very sadly, is unable to help us.
"He confirmed that his wife had fallen into the river but there are obvious difficulties in pursuing questions and he has not subsequently said what actually happened."
The inquest, held at Trowbridge Town Hall, heard the couple had been out walking their daughter's dog Jess in the afternoon.
Robert Tuersley, who had known the couple for around 14 years, had been visiting his horses, which were kept in a nearby field, at around 4pm when he saw Mr Morse and the dog in a car park.
He told the court Mr Morse told him his wife was in the river and he could not get her out.
Mr Tuersley ran along the riverbank until he found the pensioner in the middle of the water.
He said: "I could do nothing. I just ran back to the house and Pete said Has she gone Bob?' and I said Yes'."
The court heard how the dog lead, which was not normally used by the couple, was found on the riverbank. Mrs Morse's walking stick was found further along the bank.
Detective Sergeant Peter Chamberlain from Chippenham CID told the inquest his initial thought had been the dog had escaped from the lead and had gone to the water and Mrs Morse had followed it.
He said the dog had a wet stomach and that it was quite possible she had strayed from the footpath and gone to the water for a reason.
He said that was the only reason he could think of and confirmed he had ruled out foul play as a result of his investigation.
Wendy Miles, the couple's daughter, asked DS Chamberlain about his interview with Mr Morse and confirmed her father had been in a confused state when questioned about the incident.
Mr Masters said a pathologist's report led him to be satisfied that Mrs Morse, a retired market gardener, had died from submersion rather than drowning, meaning her body went into shock as a result of the cold water. He told Mrs Miles this would have been instant, unlike drowning which takes longer.
"Mrs Morse and her husband so much enjoyed their walks at Avon Weir," he said.
"It was a fine day that would not have made any part of the bank slippery.
"Very sadly, because this was unwitnessed by anyone but Mr Morse, we shall never know what happened and that piece of the jigsaw will be forever lost.
"But it was probable that on their walk Mrs Morse did go to the river bank for whatever reason and did slip in and could not retrieve herself because of the shock of that submersion."
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