Heart-breaking story of Ethan, 16, who took his own life in woodland near Preston

Ethan James Hardman, 16, from Bamber Bridge left two notes expressing his love for his family and friends and saying he wasn't blaming anyone for his decision to take his own life.

Reaching a "suicide" conclusion, Assistant Coroner Sian Jones told the inquest: "This is a particularly sad case. Ethan's family and friends have our sincere condolences as they seek to deal with his death.

"In the days, weeks, possibly months leading up to this Ethan appears to have had one or two things to deal with that he was perhaps struggling to manage totally. He had lost a beloved grandparent, he had recently broken up with a partner - a fairly normal part of teen life - and he was struggling to identify exactly what he wanted to do in terms of work. He felt it was not going particularly well."

The court heard that Ethan had gone missing on a Friday night last October after leaving the home of his father Jamie Hardman. Mr Hardman thought he had gone to stay at his mother Camille's home, which he often did. But when he hadn't turned up some time later he checked Ethan's room and became suspicious.

Both parents called 999 because they were concerned for his wellbeing. The police launched an immediate full scale search after deciding he was a "high risk" missing person. They used the signal from his mobile phone to track roughly where he was.

Officers with torches, a drone unit and the police helicopter with an infra-red camera all combed the area in the dark around a spot called Forty Steps, off Elmsett Road in Walton-le-Dale. Ethan was eventually found nearby.

Det Insp Sean Cloherty said there was nothing in the boy's health records to suggest he had any mental health issues.

He said the investigation showed Ethan had left full-time education in the summer of 2022, having struggled to settle back into school after the Covid pandemic. He had been concerned about his future because his GCSE results had been poor. His father arranged for him to start an apprenticeship with a local joinery firm, but his employer felt he wasn't enjoying the work.

"He had had a number of upsets," said DI Cloherty. "Most recently he had separated from his girlfriend of two years and was reported to be quite upset about this - and had also lost his grandmother earlier in the year."

After his death two notes were found. DI Cloherty said the notes had "expressed his love for his family and friends," but also his intention to take his own life. "He wasn't blaming anyone else and was taking responsibility for his actions in both notes."

A post mortem found the cause of death was hanging. There was no evidence to suggest anything suspicious. Reaching a conclusion of "suicide" the Assistant Coroner said: "He was clearly a well-loved boy and his life was an entirely normal life of a 16-year-old.

"In light of all the circumstances, I am satisfied that Ethan took his own life."

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