AN inquest has been held into the death of a man found dead in a river, two months after going missing from hospital.

Brian Hughes, 44, had been reported missing on August 17, last year.

He was last seen leaving the Countess of Chester Hospital that morning and was believed to have headed in the direction of the city centre.

Police issued several appeals over the following weeks.

A body was discovered in the River Dee on October 15, Cheshire Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday, March 13.

DNA tests carried out during a post-mortem examination confirmed the body to be that of Mr Hughes, from Chestnut Court, Connahs Quay.

The medical cause of his death was unascertained.

Area coroner Victoria Davies said: “Because the body was severely decomposed it was not possible to determine how he died.”

Mr Hughes was born in Kent on May 7, 1979. His occupation is not known.

An open conclusion was recorded at an earlier inquest hearing on March 4.