Open verdict into death of man who went missing at wedding in Ryton - The Rugby Observer

Open verdict into death of man who went missing at wedding in Ryton

Rugby Editorial 15th Jun, 2015 Updated: 27th Oct, 2016   0

THE DEATH of a man who went missing during a wedding at Ryton remains a mystery.

Baljeev Johal disappeared last November but it was only six months later the 25 year-old’s body was found in the River Leam near Marton.

Coroner Sean McGovern, speaking at the inquest at Warwickshire Justice Centre, said: “We don’t know when or how he ended up in the river, or the motivation behind it. It could be as simple as slipping or falling and being unaware of his surroundings.

“We understand that he had issues with mental health but through thorough police investigation into his activity in dealing with his issues, there was no signs of him wanting to take his own life.




“We can be sure that the body found in the river Leam is that of Baljeev after checking dental records – but we don’t know when and where he died, only that his body was found a quarter mile from where he was last seen.”

There were no signs Baljeev had been in of any sort of struggle before he died, and police were unable to identify where exactly he had gone into the river.


On the Saturday night of his disappearance, the student from Nottingham was attending a wedding at Ryton Sports Connexion, and after a minor argument with his parents, he left.

He made no attempts to contact anyone on his mobile phone and was last seen by a motorist in Marton just over three miles away at around 2am – about two hours after leaving the event.

After he went missing his family made a number of heartfelt appeals to help trace Baljeev, who had recently graduated from Leicester University with a 2:1 degree in business.

His sister Haneet has described him as a homely kind of person, who was quiet and kept himself to himself.

Mr McGovern recorded an open verdict.

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