The death of a “kind and loving” 26-year-old man from Chinnor who was found in woodland has been ruled as a suicide.

Charlie Beeston’s body was discovered in a wooded area near the village where he lived on February 19, a day after he was reported missing by his family.

Concluding the inquest into his death at Oxfordshire Coroner's Court on Wednesday (July 26), coroner Darren Salter described it as a “particulary sad case.”

READ MORE: Wantage: Closure of pre-school causes difficulty for parents

He said Mr Beeston, who was a self-employed antiques dealer, had a history of mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts.

His family were not present at the inquest, but a statement from his mother Sally was read out to the court.

“He was such a kind and loving boy, but he had so much holding him back,” she said.

Mr Beeston had been diagnosed with autism when he was young, she said, but had always believed he actually had ADHD instead.

Nevertheless, she said her son was "high achieving".

The inquest heard he attended a grammar school and achieved a good score on his eleven-plus exam and A* grades at A-level before going to Bath University.

It was there he started to struggle, she said.

READ MORE: Motorist arrested for 'cocaine DUI' in Oxfordshire village

"He went into a new environment away from his friends and family. He never made eye contact or told us much about university," Ms Beeston said.

She said he was “struggling so much” that he left university after 18 months.

He went travelling to Asia, including to Thailand, for three to four months, in which time he seemed to improve, and his mother said she was “proud of him”.

“He was quite an internal person. He did not want to concern or worry anyone,” she said.

“The trigger for him was when lockdown happened.”

READ MORE: Carterton man charged after chicken 'punched in the head'

When she arrived home on the morning of February 18, Ms Beeston discovered that her son was not in the house.

She thought it was “strange” that his bedroom, which was usually left in a messy state, had been tidied with the door left open, the inquest was told.

At first, she thought he had gone to the John Radcliffe Hospital, as he had recently hurt his ankle, but was told over the phone that he was not there.

She then contacted the police, who initially labelled the situation as medium risk before it was upgraded that afternoon to high risk.

The following day, Mr Beeston was found dead by a cyclist, who phoned the police.

The purpose of an inquest is to establish the identity of the person who has died and the circumstances of their death.

For 24/7 hours support, contact the Samaritans by calling 116 123 for free or visit samaritans.org.