Wife finds husband's body behind garden shed two days after police launched missing person probe
A wife whose husband disappeared while gardening was horrified to find his body behind a garden shed nearly 48 hours later.
Ed Parry was doing some gardening and DIY work in the village of Seasalter, near Whitstable, when he suffered a fatal injury.
The Brit was using a chainsaw when he injured his wrist and went missing from his family home, as his wife Amy filed a missing person's report to authorities on 21 April.
Police couldn't find him despite their best attempts, though the family dog would eventually find the plumber's body hidden between a garden fence and a shed.
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The mum-of-two took the eldest of their two sons to Ashford and the youngest to Canterbury, though she became worried about Ed's whereabouts after finding out that her younger son was home alone with her husband's keys and wallet in the house.
Phone calls became desperate, and after four hours of waiting and looking, she called the police, who carried out a preliminary investigation at the home.
CCTV was also examined, as they could not find the body. Despite it being revealed that Ed was doing some gardening, nobody knew where he was.
But two days later, after the family's dog made the discovery, Amy ran out to the police to inform them that her husband of 17 years was dead.
The possibility of suicide was ruled out as the garden shed was clean and no note was left.
No suspicious circumstances or third-party involvement played a part, while toxicology tests found nothing out of the ordinary in his system.
An inquest heard that the father suffered the fatal wound to his left wrist while gardening with a handheld chainsaw.
Coroner Sarah Clarke stated: "At around 4.30pm, Amy returned home and couldn't find Ed. Their youngest son was upstairs. Amy was surprised that the youngest son was at home on his own.
"Ed's car and work van were in the driveway, and his keys and wallet were inside the house."
She added that the body was found between the shed and the left portion of the garden, with the dig indicating his location to Amy.
"PC Rose attended the scene, where it was confirmed a body was wedged between the shed and fence panels. Fire crews also attended," the coroner revealed. "The garden was tidy, and there was evidence of gardening jobs being completed.
"In the same area was a handheld chainsaw, which could be seen to have blood-staining."
Coroner Clarke also confirmed that he did not plan to take his own life, as police found 'his phone and credit card on him'.
Stating that police had no reason to believe he planned a suicide, she added: "He had his own successful business, no debts, and his finances in order. There were no previous self-harm or suicide attempts.
"I have no evidence that this was an intentional act. I have good evidence that [gardening] was a normal activity for Ed."
Coming to this conclusion, the coroner hoped the inquest's record would help explain the situation to Ed's children.
Joshua Nair