Mystery surrounds the death of a High Wycombe gamer who was found dead in his bedroom.

James Rotherforth, 32, who was described in online tributes as a “special young man”, tragically died on his bed at the Chairborough Road home he shared with housemates earlier this year.

It is not clear when he died, but his body was found by two of his housemates on February 1.

An inquest at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court on Wednesday heard that there were no obvious causes of James’s death, and a pathologist recommended his close family members speak to their GPs in case there were any undetected hereditary heart issues.

In a statement read out at the inquest, Laura Sheed, who had lived in the shared house since November 2020 after moving in to be with her boyfriend Jamal Ferguson

She told how James, who previously worked as a retail assistant at Marks and Spencer but was unemployed at the time of his death, was a gamer and would often sleep during the day and play games online at night.

She described how the pair had not seen their friend for a while at the end of January and thought it was “strange”.

Jamal sent James a message on WhatsApp but it was never read. At first the couple thought James had gone to stay with family – until they received a message from James’s stepdad, asking if they could check on him.

They went to his room on February 1 and knocked on the door at around 6.15pm.

Laura said in her statement: “The light was off. James was on the bed. Jamal was asking James to wake up. I said, ‘he’s gone’ – I just felt he had. We were both in shock.”

They called 999 and the emergency services arrived by sadly James was pronounced dead by police at 7pm.

Thames Valley Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death – something which was backed up by forensic pathologist Dr Lockyer.

Dr Lockyear told the inquest – which was attended by James’s distraught mum and stepdad – that there were no signs of any violence.

In fact, the post-mortem did not reveal what caused James’s death. Apart from fluid in the lungs, which can happen after death, his other organs appeared healthy and a Covid-19 test was negative.

A toxicology report revealed there was no alcohol in James’s blood, and only small amounts of paracetamol.

His cause of death is therefore unascertained, although Dr Lockyer said it was likely he died from an “underlying natural condition”.

He said: “There was no indication as to why James may have died.”

Addressing Dr Lockyear, James’s stepdad asked for their own “peace of mind” if there is a most likely cause of death.

Dr Lockyear said: “It is likely he suffered some sort of cardiac arrythmia, but there is no indication he had suffered a seizure or anything like that. James wouldn’t have been aware of what was happening to him.”

He also recommended that close blood relatives see their GP to “ask for some guidance” about getting an electrocardiogram, which checks the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity, in case James’s death was caused by a hereditary condition.

Senior coroner for Buckinghamshire, Crispin Butler, concluded that James had died of natural causes. He said: “James was found deceased, fully dressed, on his bed on February 1. Toxicology reports were unremarkable.

“There is no evidence of any third-party involvement in his death. On the balance of probabilities, James died from natural causes – a specific cause we cannot identity.”

On an online tribute page, friends and family described James as a “special young man who left his family and this world far too early”.

Another added: “Out of all the friends I’ve made online, you’re one of the best.”

His mum wrote: “My life is so empty without you here Jamie, you are and always will be my number one. I can't believe I'll never see you again.”