THE family of a vulnerable Dorset teenager who died on a cliff top after going missing for more than a week hope that an upcoming inquest will give them the answers they need.

The family of 19-year-old Gaia Pope-Sutherland who went missing from her home in Langton Matravers last November said that they were “all living with their breaths held.”

It follows a announcement by the coroner that the inquest into the death of 19-year-old Gaia Pope will resume next month.

A pre-inquest review hearing is set for September 5 at 10am at Bournemouth Coroners Court.

In a statement, Gaia’s family, said: “We’re all living with our breath held. The minutes still feel like days.

“There’s still so much we don’t know.

“We’ve said it before but your support keeps us going – so thank you.

“We know Gaia was one of many – too many lives lost; too many faces forgotten between all the headlines on our collapsing mental health system, rape culture and rising poverty.

“Gaia fell through the cracks in that system and she died there.

“Too often that loss is silent, that grief unseen. But not this time. This time something has to change.

“We want to say an enormous thank you to everyone in our local community & beyond who continues to stand with us. Special thanks to Inquest (a charity which helps families during investigations into bereavements) and our incredible legal team.”

Miss Pope-Sutherland, 19, was reported missing from Swanage by a family member on November 7 2017.

Clothing belonging to the teenager was found by members of the public in a field near Swanage on November 16.

Miss Pope-Sutherland’s body was discovered nearby two days later in undergrowth on a cliff top.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began an inquiry into Dorset Police’s handling of the case back in April.

The watchdog then launched a second investigation into the police response to an allegation of rape made by the teenager in December 2015 following a referral from Gaia’s family.