Neighbours reported Raunds man missing, inquest told

Graham Jackson was reported missing by his neighbours after they spotted him driving off and never returning to his house in Raunds in January.

The 80-year-old was found dead in the Nene by Northamptonshire Search & Rescue two days later after police found his car, a pair of glasses and a flat cap near the river bank.

At an inquest into his death yesterday (September 20), the inquest heard how Mr Jackson had been feeling low in the months leading up to his disappearance and at one point said he would “throw himself in the river”.

In a statement read out by the coroner, a neighbour told the inquest: “I saw Graham leaving the house in his pick-up in the morning.

“He wasn’t supposed to drive any more because of his cataracts and he hadn’t driven in three months.

“When he didn’t return in the afternoon, I went to his house and looked around but couldn’t see him. I rang 999 to report him missing.”

Mr Jackson’s body was found in the River Nene on January 20 after a two-day search. Investigators ruled there were no suspicious circumstances.

The coroner ruled Mr Jackson had been feeling low and had made the decision to end his life.