AN INQUEST into the death of a Bournemouth man found washed up on a beach in Hampshire recorded an open verdict yesterday.

Aaron Fiveash went missing from his parents’ home in Southbourne on Monday, January 6, prompting a major land and sea search. The 36-year-old had been displaying signs of paranoia in the days leading up to his disappearance, the inquest heard.

His adoptive father Dennis Fiveash told the inquest Aaron had seemed “happy and buoyant” during the Christmas period but had become increasingly agitated in the days before he went missing.

“He phoned me at work and just said he needed help,” he added.

“I stopped what I was doing straight away and immediately went round. He did not seem right. He was nervous.”

Mr Fiveash told the inquest he and Aaron’s mother Maureen were concerned about him and invited him to stay with them overnight before he went missing.

Aaron told his parents he was convinced people had been watching him and became increasingly agitated when he thought he could hear noises in his head, the inquest heard.

Mr Fiveash said: “He went to bed that night at around 11pm.

“When we went into his bedroom at around 8am he wasn’t there and the window was open.”

The police were called immediately and the police helicopter was deployed to search for Aaron in the surrounding area as officers made house-to-house enquiries.

The inquest heard his body was found by a dog walker on Southsea beach, Hampshire, three weeks later on Wednesday, January 29.

Deputy coroner for Bournemouth Brendan Allen read out a statement written by Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Basil Purdue, which said Aaron’s body had been in the water for the full three weeks and no anatomical cause of death could be determined. It added that there was no evidence of any third-party involvement. Mr Allen said: “I am not able to record a verdict of suicide as too much is unknown as to what happened to Aaron. I do not know what his intention was when he left the house.”

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Fiveash heaped praise on the police for their efforts to find his son.

“Aaron will be very sadly missed,” he added.