(Image: Family)
A 26-year-old man whose body was found on a golf course in North Yorkshire died from taking cocaine, a coroner has concluded.
Donovan Tanaka Mkutchwa, known as Donny, was found dead on Oakdale Golf Course in Harrogate on the morning of Thursday, January 29.
An inquest into Mr Mkutchwa’s death on Monday (October 5) heard he had taken cocaine the day before his death.
Coroner Jon Heath concluded Mr Mkutchwa’s death was drug related.
He gave the medical cause of death for Mr Mkutchwa as being from the effects of cocaine.
Mr Mkutchwa’s family has described him as a “deeply loved son, brother and friend whose life was complex but whose character and potential should not be forgotten”.
A family spokesperson previously told The Press the death of Mr Mkutchwa, who grew up in Harrogate and attended Harrogate Grammar School, has left an “unimaginable void” in the lives of his loved ones.
Donovan Tanaka Mkutchwa as a schoolboy (Image: Family)
They said Mr Mkutchwa was not wearing a jacket and had no phone, wallet or house keys when his body was found.
The inquest heard Mr Mkutchwa’s body was found with cuts to his lip and chin and scratches which he may have obtained by crawling through an area with sharp branches.
But a pathology report read at the inquest said the injuries did not contribute to Mr Mkutchwa’s death.
Police ruled out any third-party involvement in Mr Mkutchwa’s death.
Mr Heath also said the investigation did not find that Mr Mkutchwa died by suicide, telling the court there was “no suggestion he has done this on purpose”.
Man was 'in good spirits' in days before death, court told
Mr Mkutchwa was described by his partner as being in “good spirits” in the days before his death.
The partner, in a statement read at the inquest, said a friend who was with Mr Mkutchwa the day before his death (January 28) said he had gone with him to run an errand that Mr Mkutchwa said would take “two minutes”.
But the friend said he was still waiting 20 minutes later so left Mr Mkutchwa.
Mr Mkutchwa’s death was verified by paramedics at 9.06am the following morning after his body was found on the golf course by a groundsman.
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Mr Mkutchwa's death followed him being released from a four year and 10-month jail sentence which he received in May 2024 after pleading guilty to four drug dealing charges.
Mr Mkutchwa’s family spokesperson said that while Mr Mkutchwa “did have a run-in with the law in recent years”, he had “taken responsibility and paid for those offences through the court system”.
They said the family believe Mr Mkutchwa “was in a period of reflection and was working toward reshaping and rebuilding his life” before his death.