AFTER the inquest yesterday into the death of 23-year-old Catherine Shaw, who died in Guatemala in March, the family have issued the following statement through The Lucie Blackman Trust:

Catherine  Jane Shaw:

“The inquest  held today concluded that our beautiful  daughter and sister died as a result of the injuries she sustained in an accidental fall whilst hiking up a mountain in Guatemala.

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We would  like to take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude to the many officials, and huge number of people, many that we will never know, here in the UK and in Guatemala for their unfailing support, professionalism, kindness and assistance in helping  us to find Catherine, and bring her home. 

Catherine  touched the lives of a huge number of people across the world and she has left wonderful memories as her legacy. We are indebted and eternally grateful to these people, as well as our own friends and family, for their generosity, help and love they have shown us as we come to terms with Catherine's  premature exit from this world into the next one.

Finally  we would like to thank The Lucie Blackman Trust who have been there for us, advising and working incredibly hard in the background from the moment we contacted them when Catherine first went missing and are continuing to do so. Their help has been exemplary and deserves far more recognition for the work that they do than we can give them.”

Catherine's Family