Woman found dead in canal 10 years after her dad died in the same way, inquest hears

A ''tortured' woman was found drowned in a canal in Trafford a decade after her father died in the same way, an inquest heard.

The body of Susan McGowan, 57, was discovered in the Bridgewater Canal in Altrincham last June.

Counsellor Ms McGowan was battling severe mental health issues at the time and was on a waiting list for a hospital bed, an inquest into her death was told.

Her family said the "system had failed her" as a Coroner ruled she took her own life.

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Bosses at the trust who were responsible for her care said that though the Coroner found that the care and treatment provided to her did not contribute towards her death, "there are always things to be learned from tragic incidents such as this."

Ms McGowan's body was discovered in a 'remote' stretch of the canal off Seamon's Road in the Oldfield Brow area of Altrincham, by a jogger early on Tuesday, June 22 last year.

Emergency services were scrambled and she was declared dead at the scene just after 6:40am.

She was not identified until the following day after her family alerted police that they feared it could be her as they had been unable to contact her.

It marked a double tragedy for the family following the death of Ms McGowan's father, the inquest heard.

"Unfortunately my father did exactly what Susan did 10 years before, after an argument with Susan" Susan's sister Amanda McGowan said whilst giving evidence.

"I don't know what her thinking was. Whether she wanted to follow in his footsteps or she wanted to be with him and that was the way she thought she could be with him. I don't know."

Ms McGowan's father was not named in the hearing and no