Dead woman went missing in 1979
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A woman whose skeletal remains were found in south Wales has finally
been identified at an inquest - 27 years after she disappeared.
Iris Brick, who was 68, went missing in December 1979 from Pontypridd
while on a break from Parc Hospital in Bridgend.
An inquest in Merthyr recorded an open verdict on Mrs Brick, whose
skeleton was found by a man out rabbiting.
Afterwards, Mrs Brick's son said it was "a relief " that the mystery of
what happened to his mother was over.
Graham Brick, who is 71 and from Newport, said: "Over the years, one
minute you forget and then it comes back. How can I explain 27 years?
"My father always thought she was going to come back," he added.
The inquest was told Mrs Brick suffered from depression and had been a
patient at Parc Hospital in Bridgend but was on a weekend break at
home.
The day she disappeared - 16 December 1979 - she left her house in the
late afternoon and was never seen again.
The body was found on 27 January, 2006 at the bottom of a slope in a
field David Pugh, from Ebbw Vale, out rabbiting with a friend.
They were walking back to his car with a friend with their terriers
when they came across a sheep's carcass and a bit further on noticed
more bones, including a human skull.
"I poked it with a stick and it moved and I could see it was a person,"
Mr Pugh told the inquest.
"I phoned 999 straight away. I told them I'd found a skull. When I
finished on the telephone I could make out other parts of a body and
then I could see a little shoe. I thought it was a little girl, it was
such a tiny shoe," he said.
Act Insp Paul Hurley said forensic scientists recovered the body and
also found a gold wedding ring, leather shoes, some dentures and brown
clothing.
He said they used "traditional police methods" to find a missing
person's report for Mrs Brick.
They got a DNA sample from Graham Brick, her son, and compared it to a
sample from the bones, he said.
They also compared the missing person's description of what she was
wearing with items found at the scene and concluded the remains were
those of Mrs Brick.
Forensic examinations were carried out to see if attempts had been made
to conceal the body, but none were found and it appeared she had
slipped down the slope.
"From my investigation there is no evidence to say there was any third
party involved, but the passage of time has meant it's difficult to
know how she came by her untimely death," said Act Insp Hurley.
Home Office Pathologist Dr Andrew Davidson said that the cause of the
death was "unascertainable" but confirmed the remains were "those of
the natural mother of Graham Brick".
"They are 1500 times more likely to be Mrs Brick than some unknown
person."
Recording an open verdict, coroner Philip Walters.said "It's quite
possible she had slipped and fallen and remained there.
"But I can't say that with any great conviction, and with the passage
of time the only thing I'm clear of is the bones are Iris Brick's."
After the hearing, Mrs Brick's daughter-in-law June said: "We just
didn't think she would ever be found. It's just a relief for the
family."