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Family suffer double death tragedy (From Maldon and Burnham Standard)
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Family suffer double death tragedy
10:30am Wednesday 11th March 2009
A DOUBLE tragedy has left a family shocked and saddened after a man went missing on the river Crouch.
Austin Miller, 57, who grew up with his family in Burnham, disappeared after going fishing before he was found dead a week later by a dog walker on Saturday March 7.
And heartbroken brother Adrian, 67, of Orwell Way, Burnham, then found out that his sister Jackie had died suddenly after hearing of Austin’s disappearance.
Adrian Miller said: “She probably died from a heart attack from the stress. It is terrible. My sister and my brother have gone and I am the only one left.
“We did a lot together, especially me and Austin, and we were all very close. It is not the natual order of things because he was my kid brother and I will miss talking with him.
“It is a strange feeling and it is very hard. One would be hard but to lose two.
“Austin was brilliant and would do anything for anybody and had lots of friends.”
Adrian also praised the emergency services for doing everything they could to find his brother.
Austin leaves behind his wife Angelina and Jackie, a former Burnham Carnival Queen, leaves behind daughters Loretta and Ashley.
Mrs Miller, who was married to Austin for nearly 26 years, said: “This is such a shock to everybody because my husband was so kind and such a wonderful person.
“Jackie was very close to her brother and she was so shocked with the phone call when I was telling her. After the phone call her daughter’s husband phoned me and said Jackie just collapsed on the floor and she was mauve in colour. She didn’t even get to the hospital, she died of shock.”
Mr Austin Miller was fishing on his 22-foot boat - Jensah - when he disappeared with the boat anchored and the engine running.
A two-day search from land, sea and air failed to find any trace of him.
Post mortem results are expected soon.
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