THE reason a young man's naked body was washed up in the weeds of the River Wye will remain a mystery, an inquest heard.

Daniel James Mertens, from Golders Green in London, disappeared on July 24 last year during a visit to his grandmother's home in Fownhope.

Four days after he went missing, a Withington canoeist found his nude body in low-lying water near Ballingham.

At an inquest at the Town Hall last week, coroner David Halpern heard that Mr Mertens had been admitted to Bridgend hospital shortly before his death after he claimed voices demanded he sacrifice himself in the name of God.

However, after a short stay in hospital, in which he responded well to treatment, doctors thought he was well enough to leave their care.

He left the hospital for London and four days later arrived in Herefordshire for a pre-arranged meeting with his grandmother, Mrs Lesley Jarvis, who explained his behaviour was perfectly normal.

"During the week that he stayed here, he was very much the man of the house," she said.

However, on the day he was to return to London, he left the house in the middle of the night with all his belongings and without saying goodbye. Calls to his home in the capital proved he was missing and on July 28, Arthur Hoskins found the 24-year-old's naked body entangled in plants while canoeing near Capler Wood.

Despite a thorough two-day police search in the area nothing was found, and Inspector Peter Gebble from Hereford police station confirmed that his clothes and bags have still not been recovered.

Alison Gorrett explained that her son was like any other boy and had never shown signs of psychotic behaviour before the sudden religious outbursts in June.

She said he had been offered a trial with Norwich City Football Club, obtained a degree from Swansea University and had worked for an American bank in Canary Warf.

Recording an open verdict, Mr Halpern said he did not know exactly how Mr Mertens died, but admitted it was more than likely that he committed suicide.

"I cannot be sure that Dan intended to take his life and so I cannot record a verdict of suicide. An open verdict is therefore the most appropriate verdict."