The Star: June 29, 2023

The Star Thursday June 29 2023
6
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Coroner looks into tragic case of
• By Sam Sherwood
AN ELDERLY woman who was
missing for eight weeks before
she was found dead in bush
near the Bridle Path likely died
“within a day or so”, a coroner’s
report reveals.
Shirley Warrington, 85, went
missing on the evening of July
10, 2021, after going for a drive
with her husband, Wallace
Warrington.
Despite a large-scale search,
she was not found until
September 6. Her husband died
two days before she was found.
Coroner Heather McKenzie
reviewed Shirley’s death and
decided not to open an inquiry,
noting it would not yield
evidence disclosing the more
specific circumstances leading to
her death.
The coroner’s report said
both Shirley and her husband
had symptoms consistent with
dementia, which affected their
daily lives.
On July 10, they went for a
drive and were seen by police in
Rolleston at 7.20pm when their
driving came to the attention of
another motorist. About 8.30pm
their vehicle was seen on a traffic
camera travelling on Tunnel Rd,
Ferrymead.
At some point, Shirley left
the car and at about 10.20pm
SEARCH: Shirley Warrington’s body was found about 15m
from the Bridle Path.
PHOTO: GEORGE HEARD
the vehicle was seen on a traffic
camera travelling on Bridle
Path Rd in Ferrymead with one
occupant. The car was then seen
on multiple cameras with just
one occupant between 1.50am
and 2.20am on July 11.
The report said the
temperature was “sub-zero” the
night of July 10 to 11. About
10.30am on July 11, Wallace told
his daughter he did not know
where his wife was and police
spoke to him.
He was unable to recall the
circumstances of her leaving
the car, and where she did so.
A large-scale search and rescue
operation then began.
More than 40 people and
several police dogs combed
Ferrymead, the surrounding
areas, bush tracks and waterways
for her.
On September 6, Shirley was
found about 15m from the Bridle
Path track in Heathcote. She
was down a bank in an area of
“reasonably dense bush”.
A forensic pathologist did an
autopsy on Shirley the following
day. The pathologist believed she
died from probable hypothermia
in a person with cardiovascular
disease, lung disease, and
dementia. She had no identifiable
injuries.
The pathologist concluded she
was likely to have died “within
a day or so” of being reported
missing.
“Based on the autopsy findings
and the circumstances surrounding
the death, as currently
understood, death most likely
resulted from exposure to the
cold with her underlying health
problems hastening death under
the stress of environmental
exposure. Given the lack
of identifiable injuries,
she is unlikely to have
fallen off the cliff,”
the pathologist
said.
The police
investigation
found there was
nothing suspicious
about Shirley’s
death.
Her family made
a complaint to the
Independent Police Conduct
Authority relating
to the search and
rescue effort. The
IPCA advised
the coroner
that police
had spoken
with
Shirley’s
son to
discuss his concerns and to
explain the actions they took in
response to her going missing.
The son had acknowledged the
explanation and had the officer’s
contact details for any
further questions
in the future,
the report
said.
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