A man sent a heartbreaking final text to his wife before his body was tragically found in the sea.
Garry Jones, 55, had left his family home in Stoke-on-Trent on January 5 to stay at a Travelodge in Cheshire.
However, the following day, the warehouse worker sent a text to his wife of 19 years, Christine, which caused his family concern.
The devastating message read: "Please tell everyone that I love them and that I am so so sorry."
He gave details of the location of his belongings, before signing off with a final message, "sorry for everything, love you", reported North Wales Live.
Garry was reported missing shortly afterwards - with his body found the sea in March by a catamaran crew five miles from Rhyl.
Senior coroner for North Wales east and central, John Gittins, heard details of the police investigation that followed Gary's disappearance.
North Wales Police used number plate recognition software and traced his car travelling towards Towyn on January 6.
Later that day officers found Gary's car parked on St Asaph Avenue in Colwyn Bay.
Whilst he was not present, officers discovered a note inside the vehicle, signed by Garry, which contained the message: "I am so sorry for any heartbreak or upset that I have caused or will cause by my actions."
Police, coastguard and RNLI teams conducted a search of the North Wales coast over several days but no trace of him was found.
At 3.22pm on March 3, 2022, Rhyl Coastguard received a call from the crew of windfarm crew transfer vessel, Mareel Onyx, who reported they had found a man's body in the water around five miles from the Rhyl coast.
A DNA sample confirmed it was Garry as the inquest was told he had visited his GP before his death with concerns for his mental health and had been signed off work.
In a statement, Garry's wife said an accident at work and the declining health of his father had affected his mood, and he had "started crying more".
Mr Gittins gave the cause of death as drowning and recorded a conclusion of suicide.
Addressing his family, the coroner said: "I suspect that some of the not knowing is worse than the knowing.
"The only comfort that I can offer is that he was found. It is little degree of solace but I hope it can provide some closure for you."
