Mum found dead in river six weeks after she went missing in Yorkshire, inquest hears

Helen Mills was found in the River Aire in Kellington, near Selby, by a farmer on Wednesday, April 13, last year, after she drowned.

An inquest was told the 40-year-old was last seen near her home in Castleford on Wednesday, March 2, when she was seen acting erratically.

West Yorkshire Police found there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death and a strong current had carried her downstream.

A post mortem examination revealed Ms Mills had alcohol in her system and a level of amphetamine “in the range associated with fatalities”.

The inquest was told she had a history of amphetamine use and depression, dating back to 2001.

The day before she disappeared, Ms Mills went to Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) and asked for help, shortly before midnight, but walked off before she could be seen and staff were unable to find her.

She then phoned police at around 3am on March 2, and said she would smash the window of a police vehicle if she did not get help for mental health issues.

After officers arrived on the scene, they contacted a nurse, who spoke to Ms Mills and told her to book an appointment with her GP.

Ms Mills told the nurse that she had no intention of taking her own life, but also admitted that she liked to take amphetamines when she could afford the drug.

After officers dropped her off, near her home in Castleford, she phoned West Yorkshire Police again at around 1pm and claimed she had been assaulted.

Officers said that when they arrived, Ms Mills refused to co-operate and asked them to leave, and she also appeared to be uninjured and under the influence of drugs.

At around 3pm, two women saw her walking along a footpath, by the River Calder, and said she was talking to herself and making strange movements with her arms.

One phoned Yorkshire Ambulance Service, but the call handler said paramedics could not be sent to search for a woman who was walking around Castleford.

Ms Mills went home, but her son said she was acting erratically and appeared paranoid before she left again, at around 4.30pm, without her shoes, phone or bankcard.

She was last seen on CCTV, near Castleford Tigers’ stadium, at around 7.20pm that day, but no one saw her enter the water.

After she was reported missing on March 4, police searched her home, scoured CCTV footage to track her movements and deployed underwater search teams and drones to try and locate her.

Area Coroner Catherine Cundy said Ms Mills had clearly drowned after taking amphetamines.

“It’s not possible to say whether Helen’s death was caused directly by the anphetamine use or whether the drug led to or worsened mental health issues,” she said.

“I’m not able to say whether it was a deliberate act, whether it was an accidental event, or whether it was caused by the impact of the drug leading to a fall or loss of awareness.”

She then recorded an open verdict at Northallerton Coroner’s Court.