Much-loved mum died after entering river walking home from night out

A much-loved mum-of-two who was the "life and soul of the party" tragically died while walking home from a night out. An inquest held on Wednesday at Swansea's Guildhall into the death of Claire Joanne Morgan heard how she disappeared after attending a function at Ystalyfera Rugby Club on Saturday, July 22, last year.

She and her husband Christian had been walking home when, with weather conditions extremely poor, he remembered he had left his coat at the club so went back to retrieve it while Mrs Morgan continued walking home. South Wales Police detective constable Annie Rees told the inquest how Mrs Morgan, a former Pontardawe and Ystalyfera school pupil and Neath College student, was last seen in Varteg Road, Ystalyfera, and had taken a shortcut towards her home down a lane which runs alongside a river. The court heard she was familiar with the route as she walked her dogs there twice a day.

But the officer said the river was "extremely high" that evening and the weather was poor and at some point the 44-year-old entered the water. One of her sons contacted the police and reported her missing the next morning saying she had not returned home which was out of character for her. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.

Mrs Morgan, of Godrergraig, was made the subject of a missing persons appeal which involved tactical search officers who went along the path and found no sign of slips but DC Rees said the path was "dangerous", as it was uneven, with the drop from the path to the river being steep. Searches were also carried out by the community and on July 24 Gareth and Emma Jones, who had been part of the efforts, located her body in the River Tawe at nearby Ynysmeudwy.

A statement provided to police by Mrs Morgan's mother described her daughter as known for being a "social and bubbly person" who used to enjoy attending concerts and going to the gym. She had two sons who she was "very proud of" and was described as the "life and soul of the party" and a "caring person who was full of life". Mrs Morgan was a pre-school manager who worked in a Cylch for 20 years, originally as a volunteer and then as a manager, playing an integral part in making it very successful during her time there. Her mother said she was a person who would "always be remembered by those who loved her dearly".

At the rugby club event she had been drinking vodka and Coke and had told others how she was looking forward to attending a concert at Singleton Park the following day. After she went missing efforts were made to contact her on her mobile phone but there was no response. Her mobile phone was never recovered.

A post-mortem examination carried out by Dr John Williams gave pathological findings consistent with drowning. Acting senior coroner Colin Phillips, returning his conclusion of misadventure, said: "She died as a consequence of falling into the river whilst under the influence of alcohol." Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.