Schoolboy, 13, found dead in playground had ‘hoped someone would come looking for him’

Published on July 26, 2025 at 10:17 AM

A SCHOOLBOY was found dead in a school playground after running away from home, an inquest heard.

Connor Lee Mark, 13, was discovered in the grounds of Melin Primary School in Mile End Row, South Wales, on January 29.

The teenager had been confronted about a missing bottle of vodka and an aerosol by his mum and stepdad the night before and he started “kicking off”, then stormed out of the house without his shoes.

He returned a short while later to collect them before threatening to “jump off a bridge”, the inquest heard yesterday.

Mum Louise Morgan and stepdad Jason Clark told police Connor had made threats like this before but he usually returned and so they didn’t take it seriously.

However, nonetheless Jason went out to look for him but after walking around the street eventually returned, assistant coroner Paul Bennett said.

During the same evening, Louise and Jason’s friends David Morrow and Amy Winslade were visiting their home and were leaving as Louise called the police to report her son missing.

Moments later the couple heard Amy shriek “Connor, Connor!”

David had seen the teen’s body in the playground of the nearby primary school.

Former lifeguard Jason attempted to give his stepson mouth to mouth resuscitation in the six minutes before paramedics arrived.

However, Connor was declared dead at 3.43am on January 29, DC Danaher told the hearing.

Photo of Connor Slade.
Connor Slade was found in the grounds of Melin Primary School in Neath, South Wales

Prev Article

Nothing sexual about my birthday message to Kate Henshaw – Jim Iyke insists

Next Article

WAFCON Final: ‘We play at home’ – Morocco coach, Vilda warns Nigeria

Related to this topic:

Comments (0):

Be the first to write a comment.

Post Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

Search

Newsletter image

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Join 10k+ people to get notified about new posts, news and tips.

Do not worry we don't spam!