Student With ‘Bright Future’ Drowned in Lake Before his Mother Reported him Missing, Inquest Told

Coroner reduced scope of inquest as a result of iPhone evidence

An undated image of Richard Okorogheye, a 19-year-old with sickle cell anaemia, who was found dead in Epping Forest, Essex, on April 5, 2022. (Family of Richard Okorogheye/PA)

CHELMSFORD—An inquest into the death of a black teenager who was found dead in a lake in Epping Forest has heard he drowned and was already dead when his mother reported him missing.

Richard Okorogheye, 19, left his home in Ladbroke Grove, west London, on the evening of March 22, 2021 and his mother, Evidence Joel, reported him missing at around 6:51 p.m. the following day, when he failed to return home.

At the time she criticised the police’s handling of the missing person inquiry, and said because he had sickle cell anaemia and had left home without his medication he should have been treated as a more urgent priority.

In July 2022 Ms. Joel rejected an apology from the Metropolitan Police, which accepted a report by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) that said she had received a “substandard level of service.”

Ms. Joel said one of the police operators said to her words to the effect of, “If you can’t find your son, how do you expect us to?”

But the Met denied it had acted any differently because of Mr. Okorogheye’s ethnicity and the IOPC report said there was no evidence of racism.

An inquest into Mr. Okorogheye’s death began at Seax House in Chelmsford, Essex, on Monday and the coroner, Sean Horstead, said he had reduced the scope of the hearing because of evidence which suggested the teenager was dead before his mother filed the missing persons report.

Student’s iPhone Signal Vanished After 2 a.m.

The inquest heard Apple had examined the computer studies student’s iPhone and found evidence which said its last use was at around 2 a.m. on March, 23, 2021 when it sent an “electronic handshake,” checking in with the network by satellite.

Mr. Horstead said CCTV footage showed Mr. Okorogheye leaving his home at 8:30 p.m. and then spending some time in west London before getting a taxi to Loughton in Essex at 1 a.m.

Police divers searching for Richard Okorogheye in Epping Forest, Essex, on April 4, 2021. (Metropolitan Police)

The body was found in Wake Valley pond in Epping Forest—not far from Loughton—on April 5, 2021. His iPhone was also in the pond.

Home Office pathologist Ben Swift said the cause of death was “consistent with drowning” and he said he understood Mr. Okorogheye could not swim and “disliked” water.

A pen portrait of Mr. Okorogheye, written by his mother, was read out by his aunt, Toyin Ideozu.

‘Richard ... Was My Everything’

In the statement she said: “Richard was my only child, he was my everything. Richard was a respectful, hard working, and ambitious boy. He was interested in basketball ... gaming, and computers.”

Mr. Okorogheye, who was interested in cryptocurrency, had enrolled at Oxford Brooks University in October 2020, to study computer science and cyber security.

In her statement Ms. Joel said, “Richard always wanted to make me proud by going to university to ensure that he had the education and skills to enjoy a good standard of life as an adult.”

“Richard had a bright future ahead of him. He was certain that he would be successful. I remember him saying, ‘I will make it, Mummy, and I will look after you and take care of you.’ Richard had ambitions to move to America and become a successful businessman,” she added.

She said while at university her son had set up two businesses, a clothing line and an electronic products sales firm.

Her statement ended with her recollections of their last interaction.

“The last time I saw Richard, I was leaving our home to do a night shift. As I was leaving, I said to Richard ‘I love you.’ Richard said to me: ‘Mummy, I love you too. Take care and we will talk later.’ Richard was, and always will be, my everything, my baby. He is missed every day,” she added.

Ms. Joel sobbed quietly as her sister finished reading the statement.

Mr. Horstead then questioned her about her son’s state of mind around the time of his death.

Mother: No Signs of Poor Mental Health

She denied he had ever shown any signs of poor mental health and had coped well during the lockdown, even though he had been encouraged to “shield” because his sickle cell anaemia made him more vulnerable.

Mr. Horstead said: “The COVID lockdown affected everybody ... he was still studying. It was more difficult to study without engaging with their peers. Did it affect him?”

Ms. Joel insisted he was fine and said, “He was always very positive.”

The pathologist, Mr. Swift, was asked by Allison Munroe, KC, counsel for Ms. Joel, about the teenager’s skin which his mother noticed was remarkably “normal” for someone who had supposedly been in the water for almost two weeks.

Mr. Swift said the student’s body would have sunk to the bottom of the pond shortly after he died and stayed there for some time, creating a “refrigerator effect,” which preserved his body.

Gases released by the decomposition process would then have made it become more buoyant, causing the body to float to the surface, he said.

The IOPC report in July 2022 found the performance of three police officers and three call handlers was substandard but said it did not meet the threshold for disciplinary action.

The Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, Bas Javid, apologised.

The inquest is due to conclude on Wednesday.