Young sweethearts found hanging from same tree branch 'cradling each other' with note saying 'life starts here'
Two young lovers who had recently broken up have been found hanging from a branch of the same tree cradling each other with the words "Our souls will never live without each other" left behind in a heartbreaking note.
Guitarist and singer Charlie Eccleston and his music student girlfriend Zaiga Gravenieks, both 20, had been in a "loving relationship" that ended a couple of weeks.
Their bodies were found hanging close to Coombe Wood on the outskirts of the village of Shenley on November 5, 2017, an inquest into their death at the Hatfield Coroner's Court heard.
The court heard how the couple was last seen together buying paint and rope from a Wicks store in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, on the afternoon of October 31 that year, following which they made their way to the suicide spot.
Two days later, on November 2, concerned family members reported them missing to the police. It was not an uncommon occurrence, as they had previously been reported missing in 2014, 2015, and 2016, but this time around, there were worrying signs.
When police searched Eccleston's home following his disappearance, they found he had put out his favorite jacket with a note stating it should go to his best friend. There was also evidence that drugs had been taken at the property.
Detective Constable Ian Waldock told the hearing that police found their bodies in a "very secluded" area of the woods three days later that was out of view of everyone.
"Both were found hanging from the same branch," he revealed. "Zaiga also had her arm around Charlie's shoulder as if cradling him."
He said they had used black paint to spray the words "towards eternity" and "4 Ever" next to a heart symbol on the trunk of the tree and that, on the ground below them, there was a bottle of alcohol.
He also said that police found a note in Gravenieks' pocket that read, "Life starts now, the next chapter is here," and was signed off with the words, "This is the next chapter and we have served our time in hell."
They were both pronounced dead at the scene, with a post-mortem determining that they had died of asphyxiation. There was also evidence that they had both taken cocaine and cannabis before their deaths.
The inquest was adjourned to wait for a report by a safeguarding board that is expected to be ready in the next few weeks.