Gaia Pope struggled with health before her death, father says

Teenager Gaia Pope had "struggled" with health issues before her death, her father has said.

Police are treating the 19-year-old's death as "unexplained" after her body was found in a field near Swanage on Saturday.

Her father Richard Sutherland, said his daughter had had "a lot of issues" and "clearly just couldn't cope with that."

Three people who were arrested on suspicion of her murder will face no further action, police said earlier.

Paul Elsey, 49, his mother Rosemary Dinch, 71, and her 19-year-old grandson, Nathan Elsey, were all questioned about Ms Pope's disappearance.

Her body was found 11 days after she was reported missing in Swanage, on 7 November.

A post-mortem examination did not identify any injuries to suggest the involvement of other people, Dorset Police said.

The force is awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

Paul's father, Greg Elsey, said Ms Pope was clearly "on the verge of a nervous breakdown" when she visited Mrs Dinch in an agitated state on the day she disappeared.

He said her health problems included a previous breakdown as well as epilepsy.

In a statement, Ms Pope's mother Natasha described her daughter as "a light that will radiate for all eternity".

"A wise, magnificent soul that burns far too bright for this world," she said.

"Her spirit overflows with love and compassion for others. Gaia our free spirit, our wild pony."

Mr Sutherland thanked the emergency services and members of the public who joined searches for his daughter.

He said his daughter had "happy moments... right up into the end of her life", despite her health problems.

Her cousin Marienna Pope-Weidemann said Ms Pope had been "very, very vulnerable, but such an inspiration".

She said she was determined that "lessons will be learned" from Ms Pope's death.

Visibly upset, she said: "It should not have taken 11 days to find her so close and we need to know why."

Following her disappearance, searches by police, the coastguard and police helicopter - along with hundreds of volunteers - were carried out in the Swanage area.

On Thursday, police discovered clothing belonging to Ms Pope on open land outside the town.

Her body was found two days later in the same area.