A psychiatrist who vanished in the summer of 2012 while walking alone in Snowdonia was declared dead by a coroner at an inquest on Tuesday.
Shayne Eves Colaco, aged 33, of Hanley, Stoke on Trent, had been about to start a new job, an inquest at Caernarfon was told.
An RAF rescue helicopter, rescuers on foot and dogs had scoured the Ogwen Valley for him but no body was found.
Coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones said it was “puzzling” that nothing had been found since August 2012.
The doctor had walked towards 3,209ft Pen yr Ole Wen after leaving his car near Ogwen Cottage. He was reported missing to Staffordshire police and the search for him has been subject to “cold case” reviews.
Alistair Read, of Ogwen Valley mountain rescue team, said: "The area is very popular with members of the public. Pen yr Ole Wen has a very steep and loose path. That doesn’t stop people going.” Mr Read said searching a couple of locations would be a “significant challenge.”
The coroner said he believed Dr Colaco died on August 4, 2012. “There’s no body here. Therefore I can’t record a cause of death.”
An open conclusion was recorded. Mr Pritchard Jones declared: "I hate inquests where we can’t produce an answer. Unfortunately the evidence isn’t here in this case.”
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