Police chief inquest due to open

Michael Todd's body was found on Snowdon

An inquest into the death of Greater Manchester Police chief Michael Todd, whose body was found in north Wales, is due to be opened.

The snow-covered body of Mr Todd, 50, was found on Snowdon on Tuesday. There was no sign of trauma on the body.

The north Wales coroner said a post-mortem examination had found "no obvious cause of death". Toxicology tests are due to be completed later.

The police inquiry is looking at the possibility Mr Todd committed suicide.

On Wednesday it emerged he had sent a series of "worrying" text messages before his death.

[Mr Todd] put the 'great' back into Greater Manchester by his charismatic leadership Assistant Chief Constable David Thompson

The alarm was raised after he sent the messages to various people, which caused concern for their safety and his own, the BBC has learnt.

Mr Todd had been off-duty on Monday and had spent the day walking in the Welsh mountains.

His body was found on part of the mountain called Bwlch Glas at about 1500 GMT, with some of his outer clothes missing.

Sources said Mr Todd was found lying down on a sloping track next to a bottle of spirits.

A number of letters addressed to his loved ones have since been found but police said no letters were found at or near the scene of his death.

Father-of-three Mr Todd, who lived in a flat in Manchester city centre, was known to have previously separated from his wife.

The BBC has also learnt he suffered from bouts of depression, and had previously threatened suicide.

Assistant Chief Constable David Thompson described Mr Todd as one of the "world's best police leaders".

"He put the 'great' back into Greater Manchester by his charismatic leadership, the trust and confidence he placed in all our staff and the new and innovative thinking he brought to the challenges we face and, of course, his unique sense of fun," said Mr Thompson.

He said crime was down in Greater Manchester since 2002 when Mr Todd joined the force, which he had turned into an "effective crime fighting organisation".

Books of condolence have been opened at Manchester Cathedral and online at the Greater Manchester Police website.