Body recovered from River Swale in search for missing 12-year-old boy

17 August 2025 , 11:57

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Body recovered from River Swale in search for missing 12-year-old boy

A body has been found in a river by search teams looking for a missing 12-year-old boy, who was last seen swimming on Saturday evening.

North Yorkshire Police said the body was recovered from the River Swale in Richmond at 10.45pm on Saturday. 

Police launched a search after reports that a 12-year-old boy had entered the river at around 5pm.

Extensive searches were underway at 20:15, with police working with other emergency services including Fire and Rescue teams and specialist search teams to find the boy.

The rescue teams reportedly focused their search operation around Richmond Falls, a set of waterfalls along the River Swale.

Specialist crews were seen wading through the water and searching at the base of one of the waterfalls.

In an updated statement, the police said a body has been found in the river, but is yet to be identified.

The police statement said: "Following further searches of the river, sadly search teams recovered a child’s body from the water at 10.45pm today.

"The body is yet to be identified but the boy’s family have been informed and are receiving support from specially-trained officers. 

"Emergency services currently remain at the scene.

"We are not treating the death as suspicious and we are not in a position to share any further information at this time."

Elizabeth Baker

Technology & Business Editor