An inquest into the death of Aaron Thomas Conn, 23, heard he was under considerable stress and mental anguish due to an ongoing PSNI investigation at the time of his death
16:39, 03 Sep 2026Updated 16:39, 03 Sep 2026
Aaron Thomas Conn
The sudden passing of a Co Armagh man was triggered by the “stress and anguish” he was experiencing as a result of a police investigation, an inquest has heard.
Aaron Thomas Conn passed away on July 4, 2025, with an inquest into his death held on September 3, 2026, at Belfast’s Laganside Courthouse.
Coroner Anne-Louise Toal opened proceedings by outlining that the inquest’s purpose was to establish the medical cause of death, while addressing questions surrounding who the deceased was, when and where he died, and the circumstances of his death.
Aaron’s mother, Pearl Page, told the inquest that the 23 year old had been struggling with his mental health owing to a PSNI investigation he was connected with, and that he had been bailed to reside at her Portadown address.
On the evening of July 3, 2025, she described how the family had shared dinner before Aaron retreated to his room, though she checked on him regularly throughout the night. Prior to retiring to bed, she looked in on him at 10.30pm and found him sitting on his bed using his iPad, reports Belfast Live.
“I stood at the door, told him I loved him, and for him to get some sleep,” she said.
The following morning at around 7am, Pearl checked on her son, Jack, before heading to check on Aaron. She told the inquest she was initially unable to open his bedroom door, and upon doing so, discovered his foot was pressed against it.
Pearl added: “I knew as soon as I opened the door.”
In the period before his death, Pearl stated Aaron’s mental health had declined even more sharply, and he had grown increasingly isolated. She described how she had been discussing his feelings with him, and directly questioned whether he felt suicidal, which he refuted.
Pearl stated Aaron had been “stressed by the investigation and allegations against him.”
Following the funeral, Pearl said a workplace colleague of Aaron’s approached her and mentioned a rumour that he had received a text message stating “You know you’ve done this, go and kill yourself.”
Three days following his death, when she attended the police station to report this matter, Pearl stated she was questioned about where her son was presently living, which was “very distressing.”
She requested that Aaron’s phone be examined.
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On July 15, officers rang back and indicated they would relay the enquiry, before notifying her on August 20 that limited information could be recovered.
Throughout the inquest, Pearl also expressed concerns that on August 10, slightly over a month following Aaron’s passing, she sent a “sentimental” WhatsApp message to her son’s device, which “had two blue ticks to show it had been delivered and read.”
Aaron’s father, Andrew, subsequently messaged him via Facebook Messenger and his profile photograph appeared to indicate the message had also been viewed and read. Pearl stated officers were informed of this on August 20 but she has received no further updates.
Andrew Conn, Aaron’s father, informed the inquest that on the morning of July 4, 2025, he received a telephone call notifying him of his son’s sudden death and went to the location.
In the weeks preceding his passing, Andrew said Aaron “wasn’t his usual chatty self”, and observed during his visits that the meetings were becoming briefer as the 23 year old appeared less inclined to converse. He acknowledged that his son seemed increasingly withdrawn during the week before his death.
A postmortem report from pathologist Dr Turner was presented to the inquest, which stated “the cause of death was found to be hanging”.
The examination revealed Aaron had no underlying medical conditions and there was no evidence of drug use.
A letter from Aaron’s GP, Dr Andrew Magill, was presented to the inquest. It outlined that Dr Magill had no prior clinical contact with Aaron.
On July 2, a fit note was issued at the request of his mother by a nurse, with the reason cited being stress, and it would be valid until July 16.
PSNI Detective Constable Jonathan Smith provided evidence to the inquest. He detailed that he arrested Aaron on June 23, 2025 on suspicion of a serious offence, before transporting him to Lurgan police station where his detention was approved.
An hour and a half following his arrest, Aaron was additionally arrested on suspicion of other serious offences.
DC Smith confirmed he confiscated Aaron’s iPhone, which was powered off and assigned a police identification mark, before being placed into secure storage.
“It would have been held in a state that data on the device could not be altered or destroyed,” he explained.
When questioned regarding the messages sent to Aaron’s device by his parents on 10th August, which appeared to have been “read”, DC Smith stated that as the phone was switched off, “there would be no access to altering anything on that device.”
The inquest heard that Aaron regularly used his iPad, which had remained at home.
DC Smith further noted: “If there was access through different means, maybe a tablet, you could access but it wouldn’t be able to change what’s physically on the device. His phone had been examined by a digital team then the box was sealed again.”
Prior to delivering her findings, the Coroner conveyed her “heartfelt condolences” to Aaron’s family, stating: “I find the deceased, who was under considerable stress and mental anguish due to an ongoing police investigation, died by his own act of hanging between 10.30pm on July 3 and early hours of July 4.
“I find when he was found by his mother at around 7am on the 4th of July 2025, he was already deceased. I find he intended to take his own life and died by his own act. The postmortem records and I find that the cause of death is 1A hanging.”
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