AN open verdict has been recorded into the death of missing dad John Dick.

An inquest was held in Chelmsford after the skull of the 38-year-old dad-of-two was found on a site near Harwich Port.

Mr Dick, who has been missing from the Bury St Edmunds area, was last seen in Harwich on November 30, 2020.

The inquest has revealed how a police investigation was launched on July 19, 2021 after officers received reports of a human skull found on the building site.

DNA testing was then carried out, revealing it was the remains of Mr Dick.

Harwich and Manningtree Standard:

The coroner has also told about further bones being discovered along the coastline, in Bathside Bay, on September 10, which led to additional searches in the following days.

Officers’ work then led to the discovery of more remains in nearby marshland.

The coroner has now delivered an open record into the death of the 38-year-old, saying there was a billion-to-one chance that the DNA from the remains could match anyone other than Mr Dick.

In a statement, Mr Dick’s family had previously paid a heartfelt tribute to their “funny, kind, generous and trusting” father and husband.

They said: “We are absolutely devastated by the loss of our John.

“He was a wonderful man who was funny, kind, generous and trusting and, from the stories that have been shared, it is clear that this has been seen far and wide by so many people.

“Everyone that knew him is better for knowing him and John will be forever missed.

“He was so very loved as a daddy, husband, son and brother and our hearts are shattered at our loss.”

On the day he went missing, it is understood that Mr Dick, who is a former Royal Marine, used his bank card and got a train ticket to Harwich.

The last confirmed sighting of him was getting off the train in Dovercourt.

Officers have also revealed they were trying to trace the 38-year-old in connection with an assault in Thetford, Norfolk, just the day before he went missing.