MYSTERY surrounds the tragic death of a teenager whose body was found washed up by a river just days after he ran off from a party.
The body of Casey Frasier Coulton, 18, was discovered on the banks of the River Taff, in South Wales in November 2022.
Mystery still surrounds the death of Casey Frasier Coulton
Casey’s body was discovered on the banks of the River Taff in November 2022
Casey had been attending an 18th birthday party with some of his pals on November 13.
But an inquest into his death heard the teen “behaved oddly” and ran off alone in the early hours of the morning.
Casey’s friends last saw him heading towards a train station in the area before he vanished.
In the wake of the 18-year-old’s disappearance, a major police search was launched.
The youngster, from Aberdare, south Wales, was sadly found dead nine days later by the river.
And mystery still surrounds his death after a post-mortem examination was inconclusive.
It is believed the tragic teen went into the water shortly after disappearing.
But due to a lack of CCTV and phone activity, assistant coroner Kerrie Burge admitted it was “difficult” to determine his final steps.
Casey was getting a lift back from a house party from his friend’s dad when he suddenly got out of the car, his sister previously said.
Police could not track his phone with his family saying the disappearance was “very unlike him”.
Coroner Ms Burge added: “It is more difficult for me to determine how Casey came to be in the river.
“Casey could have fallen in by accident. He appears to have been behaving oddly, running off from the car.”
The inquest heard the teen was last seen by friends at the birthday party in Abercynon, south Wales.
His body was later found on November 22.
A medical cause of death was given as submersion in a man who had taken alcohol and cocaine.
The inquest was told of a previous incident of risk-taking when he jumped out of a first floor window after drinking and taking cocaine.
Ms Burge said rumours of “third party involvement” were based on speculation.
She added there was “insufficient evidence” explaining how Casey came to be in the water.
The coroner recorded an open conclusion at the inquest in Pontypridd.
She said: “I’m sorry that sometimes an open conclusion sometimes leaves you with questions not answers.
“But having explored all of the issues in evidence there is no other conclusion I can reach.”
In a tribute after his death, Joanne Edwards, the mother of his girlfriend Charlie, said he was loved by all his friends.
She said: “Casey was a kind-hearted, loving, selfless gentleman.
“He was loved by his girlfriend Charlie, her brother Nick, myself and my partner Leighton.”
Assistant coroner Kerrie Burge admitted it was ‘difficult’ to determine his final steps
There is ‘insufficient evidence’ explaining how Casey came to be in the water 
