The family of a much-loved Whitby dad have paid tribute to a “wonderful person full of fun and laughter” after an inquest into his death concluded today (March 22).

Pete Brown, 46, from Whitby, was being treated for a depressive disorder at Cross Lane mental health hospital in Scarborough in May 2019. He was later reported missing when he did not return to a ward that permitted him to leave.

However, Mr Brown’s body was not found for a further 20 months – in January 2021 – after British Transport Police officers did not search an area of “thick undergrowth” near the railway line in the Seamer Road area of Scarborough.

Natalie Brown has paid tribute to her husband. She said: “Pete ran his own local painting and decorating business and was much-loved by me, his two children, parents Mike and Mary, sister Alex and nephew Costa.

Whitby dad Pete Brown, pictured with wife Natalie and family. (Photo: Brown Family)

“He loved to laugh with his family and was a talented martial arts competitor, holding a black belt in both Karate and Jiu-Jitsu.

“Our children remember Pete as being the best dad they could ever wish to have had. He was a wonderful person full of fun and laughter who would do anything for his family.

Family pay tribute to Whitby dad Pete Brown, whose body was found in Scarborough two years after going missing, as inquest concludes