A mother whose body was discovered in a river three weeks post-disappearance had faced post-natal depression and resorted to heavy drinking as a coping mechanism for childhood trauma, an inquest revealed.
Bride-to-be Victoria Taylor, 34, vanished from her home in Malton, North Yorks, at around 9am on September 30 last year.
An extensive search operation commenced immediately upon her being reported missing, employing drones, sonar, and expert underwater teams to inspect the River Derwent.
Her personal belongings – including a camouflage cap and rucksack – were later found close to the water’s edge.
Despite exhaustive efforts by police, family, and volunteers, Miss Taylor’s body wasn’t found until October 22, when divers retrieved her remains from the water.
An inquest heard how Miss Taylor, known as Vixx to family and friends, had suffered trauma from an early age and had struggled to cope in adulthood.
Her fiancé, Matthew Williams, and her eldest sister testified that Miss Taylor had likely developed post-natal depression following the birth of her daughter, Nancy, in September 2022.
Coroner Catherine Cundy highlighted potential oversights by NHS mental health services after discovering Miss Taylor had previously disclosed suicidal thoughts.
Victoria Taylor, 34, was reported missing from her home in Malton, North Yorkshire, on September 30 and her body was found three weeks later
Victoria Taylor was last seen after leaving her home around 9 am on September 30, later captured on CCTV at a BP garage at 11:35 am, dressed in a camo hat and Adidas coat.
She had been rescued from the same river just three months earlier after entering the water while drunk.
Despite being referred to the crisis team, she was later advised to self-refer to a private psychological service if she felt distressed again.
On another occasion in May 2024, she was referred to the crisis team after being found crying in the street and telling a friend she planned to jump in the river.
The crisis team met with Miss Taylor the following day and concluded ‘there was no role for mental health services,’ instead suggesting lower-level talking therapies.
Ms Cundy told North Yorkshire Coroners’ Court: ‘Trauma was quite obviously a trigger for this self-harming and drinking that places her at an impulsive risk of death.
‘I can’t see it actually being addressed with her that mental health services could have supported her in dealing with the underlying trauma.’
On July 31, Miss Taylor was pulled from the River Derwent. She saw her GP on August 2 when he again referred her for crisis assessment.
He recorded in his notes that Miss Taylor had placed herself ‘in the river with the intention of ending her life’.
There was a further assessment on August 20 when she was taken to the emergency department for a check up after her fiancé found empty packets of pills.
She had been found in a field in the town by her brother after one of Victoria’s sisters was contacted by text to say what she had done.
She was taken to hospital with a suspected overdose. She was ‘tearful and low in mood and drinking three bottles of wine to cope with distress’, it was said.
She told paramedics she had taken the pills because she wanted to die but then felt ‘silly for taking it because it was an impulsive act’.
Police water search units seen scouring the river earlier on October 4
Victoria Taylor pictured with her husband-to-be Matthew. The father previously issued a tearful plea for her to return
Victoria Taylor with her fiancé Matthew and their two-year-old daughter
She was signed off work as a care home dementia unit manager at this time.
There was another assessment by mental health services on August 20 but again the clinicians concluded that they did not have a role with Victoria, who was having online therapy.
Northallerton Coroner’s Court was told the only change was they asked her GP to limit her prescriptions to weekly to counter the risk of an overdose.
Miss Taylor was last seen on CCTV walking towards the River Derwent after stopping at a BP garage and Malton bus station on the morning she vanished.
Days earlier, she and Mr Williams had returned from an all-inclusive family holiday to Majorca, where he said she drank heavily and would ‘disappear during the day to try and source alcohol.’
She slept on the flight back. She went to the shops on Friday September 27 in the afternoon and picked up some of her favourite soft drinks including a Dr Pepper.
On Sunday, they visited Mr Williams’ parents. He went to the shops to top up the gas and electricity but made a mistake with the payment and she went out saying she would sort it out.
By the evening, she was under the influence and he realised she must have bought alcohol while she was out.
She went out for a takeaway and when she returned she seemed emotional and incoherent and ‘not making a lot of sense’.
He had dropped their daughter off at his parents. After a disturbed night, his alarm went off the next morning he realised Victoria was not at home.
She returned home on Monday September 30 – but then left home, saying she was planning to visit her sister.
Mr Williams told how he had searched for his fiancée the next day after she failed to come home, scouring the riverbanks with two friends.
Victoria Taylor is pictured with her brother Joe. She was reported missing on September 30 last year
Malton town centre, where missing woman Victoria Taylor lived with her fiancé and daughter
When he came across a can of Dr Pepper and two bottles of sparkling water – her favourite drinks – he said he ‘knew deep down’ that she had been there.
He said: ‘The river at that time was running fast and was moving fast.’
Reading a summarised statement from Mr Williams, the coroner said: ‘You think after your daughter was born, Vixx suffered from post-natal depression.
‘Life with Vixx was great with the exception of the impact of the alcohol.
‘You and your daughter couldn’t have wished for anyone better in your lives.’
Emma Worden described her younger sister as a ‘loving person’ and ‘very proud of her work’ as the manager of a dementia unit, insisting that she ‘was not an alcoholic’ but drank as ‘coping mechanism’ to mask the ‘heaviness of her past’.
Reading her summarised statement, Ms Cundy added: ‘You know in your heart that she did not mean to take her own life.’
Miss Taylor had a history of anxiety, depression and alcohol misuse, the court was told.
The inquest continues.
