Woman drowned in River Tees in Barnard Castle identified

Inquest Opens for Kay Wilson’s Drowning

Kay Wilson’s body was recovered from the water near River View Leisure Park on December 7. She was seen entering the river at 11:35 PM the night before.

A major search for the 78-year-old involved police, fire, paramedics, and mountain rescue crews. She was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

Details from the Inquest

An inquest into the librarian’s death opened on January 7 at Crook Coroners’ Court. The inquest revealed that she drowned.

Coroners’ officer Jacqueline Orpen stated, “I understand the circumstances to be that Mrs. Wilson was found deceased in the River Tees in Barnard Castle.”

Dr. Peter Nigel Cooper conducted a post-mortem examination on December 15, 2025, at Newcastle Freeman Hospital Mortuary. He determined the cause of death as drowning.

Upcoming Inquest

A full inquest into her death is scheduled for 11:30 AM on March 6.

Emergency Response

Durham Police released a statement saying, “Emergency services were called just after 11:35 PM on Saturday (December 6) after an elderly woman was seen to enter the River Tees at County Bridge in Barnard Castle.”

Police, fire, ambulance, and a crew from Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team searched the area for the woman.

Shortly after midnight, she was found downstream near River View Leisure Park and recovered from the water. Unfortunately, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The police added, “Her family have been informed, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. Her death is not being treated as suspicious, and a file will now be prepared for the coroner.”