Jenny Hall

Jenny Hall was a 23-year-old long-distance and fell runner from Tow Law in County Durham, England, whose disappearance in February 2025 prompted a five-day search of the moors between Teesdale and Weardale. She lived at Barracks Farm near Tow Law, ran the trails of Teesdale and Hamsterley Forest, and was a well-loved member of the Durham Fell Runners club. Her body was found in a stream in a remote part of Teesdale on 23 February 2025, five days after she was last seen. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances. An inquest into her death opened at Crook on 10 November 2026, more than 20 months later.

Friends and fellow runners described her as a bright spark, fiercely independent and a joy to be around. She was a keen long-distance runner who was known to use the running trails between Eggleston and Hamsterley, and police focused much of their search on routes she was known to favour. Her running club shared photographs taken on a sunset run above Hamsterley Forest in the spring of 2024 and said she would be forever in their minds, surrounded by the light of that evening. One of her training partners, Mariagrazia Panaccio, called her the fittest woman she had ever met and remembered their training together as fun, joy and laughter. Details of her schooling, work and early life have not been made public.

On Tuesday 18 February 2025, Jenny left her home at Barracks Farm in her red Ford Focus just after 3pm. Her family raised the alarm at 9pm that night. Police initially believed she may have been heading towards Barnard Castle. The next day officers found her car parked on the B6278 between Eggleston and Stanhope, a road crossing open moorland between Teesdale and Weardale. Police described her as white, 6ft tall, with very long dark hair, last seen wearing a blue hoodie with a John Deere logo and dark jogging bottoms, and possibly carrying a green jacket.

What followed was a five-day, multi-agency search. Durham Constabulary worked alongside Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team, which led the effort, and more than a dozen mountain rescue teams from across the north of England, with search dogs, drones and HM Coastguard air support. More than 60 volunteers took part, and the Rurali community group and local landowners helped officers cover more than 100 miles of track in Teesdale. Digital intelligence officers examined data from her mobile phone, smartwatch and running apps but found no leads. Police thanked the public for offers of help but asked people not to join the search themselves, as it could disturb the systematic search and distract the sniffer dogs. Rescue volunteer Peter Bell said the biggest challenges were the size of the area and the muddy, boggy terrain.

Just after 9.30am on Sunday 23 February 2025, officers found a body in a very remote area of Teesdale, in a stream west of the B6278. Jenny was formally identified by her sister. Police said there were not thought to be any suspicious circumstances, and her family were supported by specialist officers. Tributes came from Durham Fell Runners, from Esk Valley Fell Club, from the fitness training company Pure Human, and from many friends, who called her wonderful, amazing and a beautiful soul.

The medical cause of her death took a long time to establish. In October 2025 and again in July 2026 the Durham and Darlington Coroners' Service confirmed it was still under review. When the inquest opened at Crook Coroners Court on 10 November 2026, the coroner, Crispin Oliver, heard that a post-mortem examination had given the cause of death as the effects of amphetamine and paracetamol. The hearing was adjourned, and a full inquest is due to conclude on 26 November 2026, when investigating officers from Durham Police are expected to give evidence.

Jenny Hall is remembered by her family, her running club and the wider fell running community of the North East as a young woman who loved the hills and forests of County Durham, and by the rescuers and volunteers who worked around the clock to bring her home.