A 35-year-old man died from sudden adult death syndrome in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) national park, an inquest has found.
Discovery and background
Scott Travis, who worked as a caretaker and lived in Ebbw Vale, was found dead on April 28 last year in his caravan at Llynfi holiday park in Llangorse, Powys.
Pontypridd coroners' court heard he had been in regular contact with mental health services due to previous diagnoses of bipolar disorder and drug-induced psychosis or schizophrenia.
Coroner's findings
Coroner Kerrie Burge said: "At his last appointment on March 31, 2025, Scott reported feeling unwell and struggling with temptations but there were no wider concerns for his mental health identified either at that appointment or in his interactions with his family in the days leading to his death."
A post-mortem examination has excluded significant coronary heart disease or significant toxic effects of drug use and identified a natural cause of death as sudden adult death syndrome.
Medical details and impact
The medical cause of death was given as sudden adult death syndrome (SADS) – also known as sudden arrhythmic syndrome – with obesity listed as a contributing factor.
The NHS says the syndrome is the most frequent cause of death for under-35s and affects around 500 people in the UK every year.
Last week an inquest into the death of Alex Hughes, the 38-year-old son of legendary Welsh footballer Mark Hughes, found he died of SADS.
The British Heart Foundation says: "SADS is when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly from a cardiac arrest but it's not clear what the cause was."
"SADS usually happens when a dangerously abnormal heart rhythm goes untreated and leads to a cardiac arrest," the charity's website states.
"Inherited heart conditions are often the cause of SADS if the person who has it doesn't know they do."
