Catherine Shaw: Mysterious death of British woman on mountain ruled to be accidental

'She was someone who led a very full and active life' coronor says

British backpacker Catherine Shaw, 23, from Witney, Oxfordshire, was reported missing from the Eco Hotel in Mayachik, near San Pedro and San Juan, in Guatemala, on 5 March 2019 (Lucie Blackman Trust)

A British backpacker who was found dead in the mountains of Guatemala, passed away after falling on her way to watch a sunset, an inquest has heard.

Catherine Shaw's unclothed body was found 100m from the Indian Nose trail in the south-west of the country in March – leading to suspicion that she may have been attacked.

But now a coroner has ruled that the 23-year-old had simply been hiking alone before falling by accident and had likely removed her clothing of her own accord.

A post-mortem examination concluded that the yoga teacher had died of "multiple injuries", including haemorrhaging resulting from a traumatic brain injury, Darren Salter confirmed.

"The likelihood is that Catherine was visiting, trekking on this mountain trail. She was alone, and she was to view the sunrise near this viewpoint, and had decided to climb a section of this mountain," he added.

There were "no suspicious circumstances or third party involvement", and it was likely that Ms Shaw had been dead for "four to six days" before her body was discovered, he said.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, Mr Salter offered his condolences to Ms Shaw's family, saying: "She was someone who led a very full and active life."

At the time of her death Ms Shaw had been travelling for several months, passing through Mexico and California with plans to head on to Colombia.

She had been backpacking with friends in Guatemala for two weeks at the time she disappeared from Eco Hotel Mayachik in the area of Lake Atitlan.

On the morning of 5 March she took a puppy and no possessions along the trail in the direction of the lake.

The animal was later found alone at the highest lookout of the Indian Nose volcano.

Her state of undress and sudden death led to widespread online speculation about her cause of death.

However. her family had long contested the circumstances may have been those of a tragic accident.

In the run up to the hearing charity the Lucie Blackman Trust, who had been supporting the family, said Ms Shaw had been fasting for days before her disappearance while “disposing of possessions, including clothing”.

Father Tarquin Shaw, who attended the hearing with Wife Ann and Ms Shaw’s godmother, Trish, said that his daughter was “quite capable” of having removed her own clothing on her way up to the summit.

"It's unusual for a 23-year-old to not be body-conscious," he added. "She believed in what she was presented with. She was confident and it was quite refreshing to see in a youngster. She was very comfortable in her own skin."

A family statement, read out to the court, said Ms Shaw was "a vivacious, friendly, kind and adventurous person who made friends all over the world. She loved mountains, waterfalls, sunrises and sunsets."

Additional reporting by Press Association.