A man’s dead body was discovered inside his own property almost two weeks after his family asked police to investigate his disappearance.
The discovery was made not by police officers but by his own sister, a court has heard.
Robert Wright, 68, was found dead at his home in Squirrels Heath Road, Romford, having seemingly taken his own life.
“The circumstances of the discovery of the deceased were that welfare checks were ongoing,” senior coroner Graeme Irvine told East London Coroner’s Court.
“Mr Wright had been reported as a missing person to the Metropolitan Police Service. Enquiries had been ongoing.
“Despite that, Mr Wright was discovered by his sister’s enquiries. Mr Wright was found… in a garage at his home address.
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“The emergency services were called. He was declared dead at the scene. There seemed to be signs that Mr Wright had been dead for some time.”
Mr Irvine formally opened an inquest into Mr Wright’s death on Wednesday, May 21.
Quizzed by the Romford Recorder after the hearing, the Met said Mr Wright’s family reported him missing at 6.20pm on April 28.
However, the force did not record the report until May 1.
Mr Wright’s body was found on May 10.
“The fact that Mr Wright’s death was the subject of a missing persons investigation prior to the discovery of his death means that his death deserves scrutiny,” said Mr Irvine.
He declared the Metropolitan Police Service an interested party in the inquest, as well as Mr Wright’s family.
That is a legal status meaning each has a stake in the inquest’s outcome and they have the right to review evidence ahead of the final inquest and question any witnesses called to testify.
He ordered the force to produce a statement from the inspector in charge of the missing person investigation “setting out the chronology of the efforts to find Mr Wright”.
It should also deal with whether Mr Wright was declared a low, medium or high risk and why that was, the coroner said, and “details of any attempts that were previously made to search his home”.
The final inquest was provisionally scheduled for November 7.
A Met Police spokesman said: “Our sympathies remain with Mr Wright’s family and all those who knew him at this extremely difficult time.”
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