Superyacht Stewardess, 21, Found D.e.a.d After Midnight Row With On-Off Boyfriend — Horrific Scene Leaves Family Shattered
A promising young life ended in tragedy when 21-year-old Imogen Amesbury, a former superyacht stewardess, was found dead at her mother’s home in Lyme Regis, Dorset, on 12 January 2022. An inquest later examined the circumstances surrounding her death by hanging, which followed a late-night argument with her on-off boyfriend.
Amesbury had spent several months working aboard the luxury yacht Queen Miri in the Caribbean. In November 2021 she was dismissed after returning from a night out intoxicated and under the influence of cocaine. She had previously received verbal and written warnings. Despite the setback, those who knew her said she returned to the UK in relatively high spirits.
Back home she rekindled a turbulent five-year relationship with Andrew Hewitt. The pair spent the evening of 11 January 2022 at her mother’s house. They consumed two bottles of wine and Amesbury took a recreational amount of cocaine. Tensions rose during a discussion about past partners. Shortly after 4 a.m. Hewitt left the property against her wishes. She briefly followed him.
Approximately an hour later the two spoke by phone. Amesbury told him she intended to kill herself and wanted to die. Hewitt replied that she should not be stupid. She told him to leave her alone and ended the call. He later told the inquest he regarded the statement as an empty threat she had made before and that her tone had sounded nonchalant. He did not contact her family or emergency services.
Her mother discovered her body later that day. Toxicology results showed her blood alcohol concentration was nearly three times the legal driving limit, together with a recreational quantity of cocaine. Police investigated the death but took no further action against any individual.
Amesbury’s family described a young woman of talent and ambition. She had won an art scholarship to Queen’s College, Taunton, and excelled as a sportswoman. Her mother, Marie Amesbury, called her gentle, warm-hearted, quietly determined, adventurous and courageous — “my most beautiful, talented and adventurous child.” She had begun working as a stewardess at 19 and dreamed of further travel and creative pursuits. Her father expressed deep anger at the dynamics of the relationship, describing it as controlling and toxic.
The inquest also heard that Amesbury had struggled with her mental health in 2021, including a two-week stay at a treatment centre following self-harm. Relatives noted she had appeared to be making plans for the future after returning from the yacht.
The case highlights the intense pressures that can accompany work in the high-end yachting industry: long periods away from home, high expectations, and the sudden loss of employment. It also underscores the dangers of substance use combined with relationship conflict and the critical importance of taking any expression of suicidal intent seriously, regardless of past patterns or tone of voice.
Hewitt told the hearing the couple had repeatedly tried to separate but remained deeply intertwined. He denied physical violence or threats involving intimate images; when asked about certain text messages and verbal abuse he declined to comment.
The inquest into Imogen Amesbury’s death continues. Her family continue to grieve a daughter, sister and friend whose adventurous spirit and quiet determination left a lasting mark on those who loved her.
