A father and son who passed while on a hiking trip in the Scottish Highlands died accidentally, an inquest has concluded. It found 12-year-old Richard Parry died of hypothermia just 100 metres from his dad, Thomas, who had fallen to his death while hiking in Glencoe.

The pair had scaled the steep and rocky Bidian nam Bian peak on May 28, 2024, and were due to return to their home in Alsager on Wednesday at 9pm after travelling to Glen Nevis and Glencoe. The inquest at Stoke Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Parry, 49, had contacted his wife Gemma on the morning of their disappearance at 7.35am to inform them of the plan. However, she heard no further contact, and by 9am on May 29, she filed a missing persons report.

That day at 12.50pm, police tracked his vehicle to the Three Sisters’ car park, which serves as the entry to the hike. Procurator Fiscal, responsible for investigating suspicious deaths in Scotland, shared a report with the hearing.

It read: “At 3pm, officers forced entry to the vehicle, where they discovered a mobile telephone, a bag for life, clothing, shoes, a picnic set, a Mountain Warehouse rucksack, a radar key, two sleeping bags and two toothbrushes – one of which clearly belonged to a child,” reports the Daily Mail.

It said at 3.37pm, the Glencoe Mountain Rescue team were deployed to carry out an area search, supported by a Coast Guard rescue helicopter and teams from the Lake District who were training in the area.

In total, 44 people were deployed, and at about 7.25pm, they found the bodies of the father and son on the mountain.

The report concluded: “At 7.25pm, the rescue volunteers found remains matching the deceased. It was observed he had significant injuries consistent with a fall from height. Life was declared extinct. 

“Further up the slope was a rucksack, which contained his driving licence. The deceased’s son was found about 100 metres away, also deceased.”

The court heard that a mountain guide was stopped by a man and a child on the day of their disappearance. The man had asked the guide for advice on how to ascend the peak.

The witness report, which was read out at the inquest, stated the pair had only a basic map showing a GPS route and the mountain’s contour lines.

The guide shared his detailed map and explained that the ground was steep and that there was a line of cliffs around the summit.

The mountain guide said that the weather began to deteriorate around the time he saw the pair, with visibility stretching to only around 30 metres due to low cloud.

Dr Natasha Ingles, who conducted the post-mortem examination at the Department of Cellular Pathology in Inverness, said she believed Mr Parry’s injuries indicated he died from chest and head trauma from a presumed fall.

She told the inquest: “Whilst this could have been simply an accidental fall, a medical event cannot be entirely excluded. He was known to have suffered from leg pain, which could have led to a fall.”

She confirmed Mr Parry had not been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 

Dr Ingles said that his son, Richard Parry, likely sustained injuries from an unwitnessed fall and subsequently died as a result of exposure to cold temperatures.

She said there was evidence of a head injury, lower limb injuries and a superficial skin injury which were “consistent with a fall”.

“The bruising to the scalp indicates at least two blows to the head, which may have led to a loss of consciousness and the subsequent development of hypothermia.”

She said that hypothermia can kill within an hour, and Richard would have been at a higher risk due to his age and slim build.

Senior Coroner Andrew Barkley accepted the proposed medical causes of death, stating that Mr Parry died as a result of head and chest trauma, and Richard died as a result of exposure. 

He concluded that the deaths were accidental.