Intelligent man with troubled life died by river

A DOG walker discovered the body of a missing Exeter man on the banks of the River Exe in Topsham, an inquest has heard.

- PAUL GREAVES

Matthew Stickland, 56, had not been seen for 17 days before being found in mud near playing fields on February 25, 2024.

Police had launched a missing person appeal in the days leading up to the discovery.

An inquest at County Hall in Exeter was told that Mr Stickland was a much loved, intelligent and privately-educated person who struggled with drug use and periods of homelessness in adult life.

The evidence showed he was making efforts to turn his life around and had no thoughts of self-harm.

The coroner said it would never be known exactly how he came to be in the water. A cocktail of drugs was found in his system which may have caused him to slip into the water. Cause of death was mixed drugs toxicity.