The reason why a 27 year old woman collapsed and died may never fully be known, an inquest had heard.

A hearing last week heard Jade Lines collapsed outside St James Church in the High Street, Isle of Grain, on May 4, after walking back from the beach with her boyfriend.

Although she suffered a cardiac arrest, subsequent expert examinations found no evidence of heart disease or abnormalities, and a "diagnosis of exclusion" - through eliminating all other possibilities - led to the conclusion she died of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS).

The hearing at Archbishop's Palace, Maidstone, had heard Ms Lines, a housing officer from New Road, South Darenth, had suffered from depression following the death of her fiance the previous year, and her sister Naomi asked the court if this could have somehow contributed to her death.

"She'd lost her fiance," said Naomi. "She was only 26."

"I was with her when he died and it was traumatic. She was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder."

Assistant coroner Katrina Hepburn said there was no medical evidence that suggested the stress of the loss led to SADS, but said it might possibly have had some bearing, and that the exact cause was unknown.

This she admitted left the family "in a difficult position in that you don't have answers to questions."

Jade had also suffered from chest infections prior to her death, but these too were not deemed relevant.

After her collapse boyfriend Christopher Savage had attempted to get a defibrillator from the nearby Hogarth Inn but staff could not find the key, while two boys rushed to a nearby fire station to raise the alarm.

Ms Hepburn did not hear evidence that any delay in treatment contributed to Jade's death, but said she would contact the pub to "find out if it's an ongoing issue."

She gave a verdict of death due to natural causes.