A YOUNG father died of cardiac arrest brought on by his secretive use of anabolic steroids, an inquest heard. The body of Jason Langdon was found in the back of his works van in Radford Park Road, Plymstock, on April 8 last year. The inquest, led by assistant coroner Andrew Cox, heard how Mr Langdon, aged 27 from Tavistock, was found face down with a cut and bruise to his face in the back of the white van shortly after 4pm that day. His stepfather, Andrew Martin, speaking on behalf of Mr Langdon's family, said he was a 'fit and healthy' man who had been bodybuilding since the age of 17. The inquest heard Mr Langdon 'never got sick' and did not like to bother the doctor. He would train most work days and would go out most weekends with his brother Aaron. Mr Martin explained that the family 'didn't think Jason had taken steroids for a couple of years', but revealed that he had recently complained about 'heart palpitations and headaches'. The inquest heard how Mr Langdon, a groundworker, and his brother had left for work in their respective vans early that morning and drove to Tesco, Lee Mill to buy lunch for later that day. Mr Langdon, who lived in Buzzard Road, had climbed into the back of his van to connect his mobile phone to charge it on the work's generator. His brother said he would see him later and drove off to work in Bristol. Inquiries by police found CCTV footage which showed the van pulling up outside a charity shop in Radford Park Road later the same morning, and Mr Langdon getting out of the driver's seat and entering the rear van, possibly to retrieve the mobile phone. Over the next few hours, passers by, workers at the charity shop and others made note of the van, with some banging on the side of it and others calling police and parking attendants. At one stage the van, which had two wheels on the pavement, was given a parking ticket. A PCSO sent to investigate found both passenger and driver's doors unlocked but the side door locked.The firm which Mr Langdon worked for, Jet Clean UK, was contacted and warned the vehicle would be taken away of not moved. Work mates who had grown increasingly concerned about Mr Langdon's whereabouts were contacted by the company office. As a result of their concerns, they headed to Radford Park Road. Drainage engineer Gary Gilchrist, in a written statement, said he and a colleague arrived and immediately checked the area, believing Mr Langdon may have been working nearby. The colleague opened the rear door — which had been unlocked — and they made their grim discovery. The inquest heard that Mr Langdon — who had a daughter aged nearly three — was found 'face down on his hands' with a fresh cut to his nose. The generator was on its side, although no explanation was found for this. Police found no suspicious circumstances and an initial post mortem examination was inconclusive. Pathologist Dr Francis McCormick told the inquest Mr Langdon's heart weighed 574 grams. For his height of 6ft 2ins, the weight of his heart would normally be expected to be between 320 and 412 grams. She said his heart was 'quite significantly bigger' than expected for his height. Tissue, urine and blood samples were sent for analysis which found a 'recently ingested' synthetic anabolic steroid — nandrolone — along with elevated concentrations of other anabolic steroids. Taking into account Mr Langdon's previous history, and the medical statements coroner Andrew Cox said the cause of death was sudden cardiac death brought on by the misuse of anabolic steroids. He recorded a verdict of misadventure, explaining that though the taking of steroids was a 'deliberate act' it had an 'unintended outcome'.