A MAN found dead in shrubbery in Prestatyn took his own life after incurring debts, an inquest ruled.

Dariusz Bogdan Olczak, originally from Poland and living in Chester, was pronounced dead on September 18, 2023 at the age of 60.

Following a full inquest into his death, held at County Hall, Ruthin today (June 21), John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, recorded a conclusion of suicide.

Mr Olczak’s medical cause of death was stated as acute heart failure as a result of combined drug toxicity, contributed to by hypertensive heart disease.

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The inquest heard that Mr Olczak, a married father-of-one of Francis Street, Chester, came to the UK with his wife, Dorota, in 2005, and worked as a production operative.

He and his wife had saved a sum of money for a trip they had planned to Poland on September 17, but Mr Olczak went missing after taking her to work on the morning of September 15.

When Mrs Olczak returned home, she found a note from her husband, extracts from which read: “We are in debt, and that account is empty.”

It is only since her husband’s death, Mrs Olczak said in a statement, that she has been “exposed to his gambling problems”.

A dog-walker saw Mr Olczak in the Morfa Woods in Prestatyn on September 16, when he told her he was “fine”, but she later recognised his face when North Wales Police shared a “missing person” appeal on Facebook.

Police then searched the area, and found him laid on his back in a bush, cold to touch, with rigor mortis having by then set in.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Olczak had a “particularly heavy” heart, weighing roughly 700 grams, making an “acute event” more likely if his blood pressure dropped.

Concluding, Mr Gittins said that, on the evidence before him, “this was a deliberate act on the part of Mr Olczak, with the intention of bringing his life to an end.”

He placed on record his condolences to Mr Olczak’s loved ones.

Anyone with mental health issues can contact MIND's infoline on 0300 123 3393, email info@mind.org.uk, or text 86463 anytime between 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Alternatively, contact Samaritans at any time. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone) or email jo@samaritans.org.