The death of an Irish woman whose body washed up on the beach in Blackpool has been described as a mystery.
Bernadette Mary Connolly was reported missing on January 7 after her coat and bag were found on Donabate Beach in Ireland. Around a month later, on February 4, a body washed up in Blackpool that DNA analysis confirmed to be Bernadette's.
The Dublin-born mum was last seen being dropped off by a taxi at the car park of the Shoreline Hotel in Donabate at around 11.50am on January 7, an inquest at Blackpool Town Hall heard.
The 49-year-old walked towards the entrance to Donabate Beach and, less than an hour later at 12.38pm, took a picture on her phone of Malahide Bay.
Senior Coroner Alan Wilson heard that these were Bernadette's last known movements. She had no "mental health issues" and her family insisted that she would not have taken her own life, Lancs Live reported.
The coroner said: "At 2.49pm on Friday February 4 a call was made to the police regarding the discovery of a body washed up on the promenade at Blackpool close to the steps leading down to the beach. This lady had been found because the tide had receded and there was nothing to indicate she had been the victim of a crime."
Detectives in Ireland, assisted by police in Lancashire, determined that there were no suspicious circumstances or evidence of third-party involvement in Bernadette's death. A pathologist could not provide a medical cause of death due to the "extensive decomposition" of her body.
The inquest heard that Bernadette, who lived with her parents and had worked in security at Dublin Airport for 17 years before accepting redundancy during the pandemic, belonged to a loving family and had a close relationship with her daughter Jade. In a statement Jade described her mum as "intelligent, independent and kind".
The inquest was told that Bernadette could swim and had no financial concerns. In a report to the coroner, Bernadette's GP said she had "never expressed anything about ending her own life".
Bernadette's family called the days leading up to her disappearance "routine" and on January 6, the day before she went missing, she had made a contribution to her health insurance premium that was described as "not insignificant". On the morning of January 7, described during the inquest as "no different to any other day", Bernadette made breakfast, had a cup of tea with her parents at around 10.30am and then said she "fancied going out".
At around 5pm a member of the public found Bernadette's coat and bag on the beach at Donabate which led to police visiting her father to inform them of the discovery. A large-scale search was launched, involving drones, police dogs, helicopters and the coastguard, but there was no sign of Bernadette until her body washed up in Blackpool.
Recording a narrative verdict, the coroner said: "Did she die as a result of her own actions or did she intend to end her life? I cannot say that."
He continued: "Bernadette Connolly unexpectedly went missing on January 7. Her clothing was located on Donabate Beach and despite an extensive search she could not be located until the afternoon of Friday February 4 when her body was located by the seawall. She probably entered the sea but it cannot be established how or why."
