A farmer who was found dead underneath the hydraulic arm of a mechanical digger remains unexplained, according to a coroner.
42-year-old David Mark Denham, from Caernarfon in Gwynedd, Wales, suffered a fractured spine as he became trapped under the digger's arm, which ultimately led to his death in May 2017.
Before the incident, Mr Denham was reported missing by his family after he failed to collect livestock for his father, George.
Searching around the area, local Police eventually found Mr Denham's body in an outbuilding on surrounding farmland, with the hydraulic arm of the digger on top of his shoulders.
But in an inquest held at Caernarfon, forensic police said the machine was found to be in good working order, and that the arm would have dropped steadily once it was switched off, taking 20 seconds to fall.
The inquest said it was unable to conclude how Mr Denham died as a result of the accident.
Daily Post Wales reported North Wales senior coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones saying: “To record he died as the result of an accident I need to be able to explain how that occurred and I cannot do that.
“Therefore I am faced with the coroner’s last resort and record an open verdict.”
