THE death of a much-loved young schoolgirl was described as “inexplicable” by her family.

An inquest at Bradford Coroners’ Court into the death of 14-year-old Kehkshan Rashid, from Keighley, found she had tragically taken her own life.

West Yorkshire Police launched an urgent search for Kehkshan, who was described as a “hardworking, popular and well-liked” girl after she failed to return home from Holy Family School on Wednesday, September 16.

She was found in a wooded area in Keighley the next day and was pronounced dead by attending paramedics at 1.50pm.

In a statement to the court, her mother Shazia Ramzan said they were “best friends” and had a close family.

But the alarm was raised when Kehkshan, a sporty youngster who had played football and went to boxing classes and archery, did not arrive at her grandparents’ house as she usually would after school.

She explained her daughter was unusually quiet the morning she went missing, though said everything was fine when asked.

Her mother said she was not aware of any worries or concerns Kehkshan had, and that she would sometimes get a “bit down”, but nothing unusual and had never shown signs of anxiety or depression.

A report from her GP surgery confirmed there was no evidence of previous mental health issues, though a post-mortem examination found evidence of self-harm.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed there was no third-party involvement, but the evidence, including some notes she had left to her friends – though no suicide note was found – suggested there had been pre-planning and she had taken her own life. Ruth Bundy, representing Ms Ramzan, raised the issue of intention and said it was “inexplicable” to her and her family why Kehkshan would have taken her own life.

But in assessing the evidence, Assistant Coroner Ian Pears said: “Taken together, I think that there is sufficient evidence for me to find, on the balance of probabilities, that this is a suicide conclusion”

He told the family: “This is a really sad set of circumstances and obviously it’s going to take a lot to come to terms with it and I have every sympathy.”

Following Kehkshan’s death, her school said everyone there was “deeply shocked and saddened” and many people turned out to pay tribute after the tragedy.

If you are struggling, the Samaritans can be contacted on its helpline at 116 123.