She perishes after plunging into an icy lake with her car, a year after a tragic event in her life

Hannah Warren was only 28 when she died. On February 3, 2016, this marketing director disappeared after hitting the road in Wales. The next day, CCTV cameras saw her on the Port Talbot docks driving her car. In her vehicle, the young woman drove straight on a frozen lake, taking advantage of the absence of a safety barrier. Locked in her car, Hannah Warren managed to get out but failed to reach the shore. She is dead. His lifeless body was found a few hours later by a walker. Police divers later discovered his car nearby in the water. According to the medical examiner, his face and body were covered with “a number” of bruises and abrasions, including some on his neck.

There were “weak” levels of cocaine and cannabis in Hannah Warren’s body, but the doctor was unable to say if had “disturbed his behavior”. His heartbroken mother, Jane Barnes, speculated suicide in the inquest. She explained that Hannah had died almost exactly one year after the day she was allegedly raped by a co-worker. An inquest jury discovered that “shortcomings” in the work of the Met Police could have contributed to his death. The police admitted his failings and said she “would seek to learn lessons” of this tragic death. Her brother Tom Warren explained that he believed that if she had been deemed a risk to her safety, she should have been arrested by local forces before reaching Port Talbot.

“Gaps” in the investigation

The Met Police, who led the investigation into his disappearance, admitted five failings in the case, including one “lack of action”, “insufficient use” surveillance cameras and “gaps” in communications with other police forces. Hannah’s mother, Jane Barnes, told the BBC: “We would like to see the Met Police make meaningful changes to how they deal with missing persons.” According to her, her systems “do not seem to be connected in any way”. “We just don’t want this to happen to anyone else, added the young woman’s brother. Without changes, other families will lose loved ones, other people will die unnecessarily.”