Family's campaign after Trowbridge man died at beauty spot

Father of two Matthew Henley, 35, was found dead on Tuesday, March 19 by a woman walking her dog in Biss Wood in Trowbridge.

An inquest in Salisbury was told on Friday, November 15 that concerns for Matthew’s welfare were raised by a friend who saw a post on social media indicating that he intended to take his own life.

His family alerted the emergency services after losing contact with him at 11.27pm and set out to search Green Lane Wood on the evening of Monday, March 18.

But in the early hours of the morning they were told to ‘go home’ by police who were also searching for Mr Henley on a wet and dark night, using officers on the ground and the police helicopter.

Mr Henley was later found at 9.30am the following morning 15 feet inside Biss Wood by a woman walking her dog.

A field separates the two woods and it appeared that police had been trying to locate Matthew via the signal from his mobile phone.

After he was found, Wiltshire Police referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct for an investigation into its actions as officers were actively searching for Mr Henley at the time.

Read more: Police referred to IOPC following death of missing Trowbridge man

David Ridley, the senior coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, heard evidence that Mr Henley was unemployed and had fallen out with his landlord after losing his job.

He was sofa surfing with his brother and his brother’s partner in Trowbridge just before he died.

Mr Henley had split up with his ex-partner some six years previously and had tried unsuccessfully to rekindle his relationship with the mother of his two children.

The inquest heard Mr Henley suffered from a depressive disorder and often drank alcohol to excess but then went through periods of abstinence.

Although his local GP practice was treating him, he had no contact with the Turning Point alcohol and substance misuse service.

Mr Henley had also been involved with the mental health service, having taken overdoses several times. His last contact with the service was in January 2023.

In February 2024, Mr Henley complained about low mood and an appointment had been made for February 21 which he failed to attend.

He was due to have attended an appointment in March which was arranged for a date after his death.

Mr Ridley heard evidence that Mr Henley had received a letter from the Child Support Service that had upset him.

He had been advised by his brother to contact the service and resolve the issues over financial arrangements for his two children.

On the evening of March 18, Mr Henley had also been involved in an altercation with a member of his ex-partner’s family outside his brother’s home address.

The inquest heard that shortly afterwards, he left the house saying ‘ta, ta, goodbye’.

Mr Ridley recorded a verdict of suicide, saying it was difficult to determine exactly when Matthew had died but it was likely to be shortly after the last contact with his family.

Since Mr Henley’s death his close family and friends have launched a campaign to raise funds for Andy’s Man Club and the mental health issues suffered by men. They hope to set up a local branch.

Sarah Peacock with Maxine Carter, coordinators of the 'It's ok to talk' walk to raise funds for the Andy's Man Club charity. (Image: Trevor Porter)

Read more: Group hopes to raise funds to open Trowbridge mental health centre

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