June 26, 2019 3.52 pm This story is over 57 months old

Case closed for now over Lincolnshire whale trainer’s death

It is believed it was an accident

Amy Louise Gerard.

The criminal case into the death of a Lincolnshire killer whale trainer has been shelved for now after a recent court hearing.

As previously reported, the death of Amy Gerard from Cleethorpes, whose body was found in the coast of Puerto de la Cruz on December 4, 2018, was initially being treated as possible homicide. It was understood at the time that her boyfriend was being placed under investigation.

According to the Spanish website La Provincia – Diario de Las Palmas, the Court for Violence Against Women in La Orotova agreed on Wednesday, July 26 that after several months of investigation there was no evidence pointing to her death being violent, so it is now believed it was an accident.

The charges filed against the boyfriend of the orca-minder in Loro Parque were shelved. However, if new evidence pointing to another cause of death arises in the future the case could be re-opened.

Amy worked at Tenerife’s Loro Parque marine theme park.

Tests previously confirmed the body pulled out of the sea in Tenerife were that of the former Lincoln graduate. The autopsy initially showed the body had signs of violence on it, so the case was passed over to the Court For Violence Against Women in La Orotova.

Before the body was found, the 28-year-old, who worked at Tenerife’s Loro Parque marine theme park, was last seen outside Irish bar Molly Malone in Puerto de La Cruz.

Amy, who studied animal behaviour science at the University of Lincoln, left the bar just after midnight on Friday, November 30 with her German boyfriend at the time Dennis Kissling. She was not seen again after they went their separate ways.

The case will not be closed permanent, but the investigating judge and state prosecutors reportedly felt there was nothing to warrant continuing the criminal probe.