Gaia Pope mistakenly believed she was pregnant at the time of her disappearance, inquest hears
Teenager Gaia Pope, 19, who was found dead 11 days after she went missing mistakenly believed she was pregnant at the time of her disappearance, inquest hears
19-year-old Gaia Pope-Sutherland went missing on November 7, 2017She mistakenly believed she was pregnant at the time, an inquest has been told She had been in an ‘extremely distressed state’ and was due to see her GP at 5pm on the day of her disappearance – but left her aunt’s home in a distressed state
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Tragic teenager Gaia Pope-Sutherland mistakenly believed she was pregnant at the time of her disappearance, an inquest heard today.
The 19-year-old was reported missing from her home in Swanage, Dorset, on November 7 2017 and was found dead 11 days later in undergrowth near the coast following a large search operation.
Ms Pope-Sutherland had been in an ‘extremely distressed state’ and was due to see her GP at 5pm on the day of her disappearance – but left her aunt Talia Pope’s home in a distressed state an hour before.
She went to a friend’s address nearby in Swanage, Dorset, and there she confided in those present that she had split from her boyfriend and taken a pregnancy test the day before.
It had come back negative but she had her doubts about it, and while at the property she started ‘behaving irrationally’ and began to remove her clothes, the inquest heard.
Ms Pope-Sutherland was persuaded to get dressed again and she left after 4.30pm on November 7, 2017, which was the last time she was seen alive.
The inquest at Dorset Coroner’s Court has heard that the troubled teenager made her way towards a remote clifftop, discarding all of her clothes in a field on the way.
The 19-year-old was reported missing from her home in Swanage, Dorset, on November 7 2017 and was found dead 11 days later in undergrowth near the coast following a large search operation
The inquest at Dorset Coroner’s Court has heard that the troubled teenager made her way towards a remote clifftop, discarding all of her clothes in a field on the way (pictured: The search for Ms Pope-Sutherland in Swanage in 2017)
Forensic pathologist Dr Russell Delaney carried out a post mortem examination on Gaia’s body after it had been found in deep undergrowth on November 18, 2017.
He said he was told about Ms Pope-Sutherland’s anxiety and state of mind ahead of the examination.
Dr Delaney told the jury inquest: ‘I was told that her aunt who she was staying with called police at 6.18pm on November 7. Gaia Pope had left the address at around 4pm in distress.
‘She attended a nearby address and she was described as behaving irrationally and began undressing. She believed she was pregnant, although she had taken a negative test, and was talking about the fact she had split from her boyfriend.
The last picture of Gaia Pope-Sutherland on the day she went missing.
‘She was acting in a sexualised manner and another person persuaded her to put her clothes back on.’
Ms Pope-Sutherland had been diagnosed with epilepsy in 2014 and it was so severe she would have between five to 10 seizures a day.
The hearing was told that she had taken cannabis within 12 hours of her death and this, on top of her epilepsy medication, may have led to her to have ‘psychosis and hallucinations’.
Dr Delaney could not say whether Ms Pope-Sutherland had a seizure at the time of her death.
Giving a cause of death of hypothermia, he said the fact she was found naked suggested she may have carried out ‘paradoxical undressing’, which happens when your brain is very cold but tricks itself into thinking it is warm.
He told the inquest: ‘Overall my opinion is she died as a result of hypothermia. I note that she was naked and her clothing was recovered from a nearby field.
‘Paradoxical undressing is a feature of some hypothermia deaths where the person gets a paradoxical feeling of warmth as a consequence of confusion.’
Dr Delaney told the inquest that he could not provide an exact answer for her time of death.
However, he did say that he believed she had been dead for ‘a number of days before her discovery.’
The inquest has previously heard from an entomologist that Gaia could have died anytime between the evening of November 7 and November 9, 2017.
The hearing has alwao heard that Gaia suffered from PTSD after she was said to have been raped at the age of 16 and is thought to have been anxious about the release from prison of her alleged attacker when she disappeared.
The Bournemouth inquest, due to last 11 weeks, continues.
