A BRIEF inquest into the death of Sarah Everard was opened today and was watched by her parents, brother and sister.

Inquiries as to the cause of death are still under way after an initial post-mortem examination was inconclusive, senior coroner Patricia Harding said at the inquest in Maidstone, Kent.

Remains of the 33-year-old’s body were found in woodlands in Ashford, Kent, last week after she went missing while walking home from a friend’s house in south London on March 3.

Serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, from Deal in Kent, has been charged with her murder.

Inquest proceedings adjourned pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.

Acting Detective Inspector Lee Tullett told the hearing that Ms Everard had made a 15-minute call to her boyfriend that ended at around 9.27pm on the evening she went missing.

Her phone showed no further activity, there was no social media presence and she failed to attend a work meeting the next day, which was “all very much out of character,” he said.

The body of Ms Everard has been released to her family so that a funeral can take place, Ms Harding said.