Body in river thought to be missing father of two

A BODY found in the River Hull is believed to be that of missing Hull man Alexander Spence.

The body was found by a member of the public in the water in the Bankside area at 11.40am yesterday, just yards from a police search team.

Formal identification has yet to take place, but Mr Spence's wallet and other personal items have also been recovered and his family has been informed. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, which appeared to have been a "tragic accident".

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The discovery came a day after the case was taken over by Humberside Police's Major Incident Team (MIT), owing to the high volume of information the force had received.

Tens of thousands of people joined a Facebook campaign to help find the father of two, who disappeared after a night out with friends in Princes Avenue, Hull, at about 10.30pm on Saturday, April 10.

Force spokesman Matthew Wright said: "Humberside Police received a call at 11.40am today from a member of the public reporting a body in the River Hull on Bankside, Hull.

"A man's body has been removed from the water.

"Formal identification has not taken place – it is believed it is the body of Alexander Spence and his family has been informed."

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A post mortem examination is due to be held to establish the cause of death.

Mr Spence, a gas engineer, was reported missing on April 11 when he failed to return to his home in Strathmore Avenue after going out to celebrate a relative's birthday.

After leaving a bar in Princes Avenue, he was seen on closed circuit TV in Beverley Road near the junction with Cottingham Road and Clough Road.

His disappearance triggered a huge online response, with more than 80,000 people joining a Facebook group set up to help find him.

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His wife Clare, 32, who is mother to Alex, four, and 20-month-old Sam, spoke of the family's anguish as they waited for news.

Writing on Facebook, she said: "Please if anyone has seen anything, even the smallest detail that you think might be silly, just tell the police.

"We are desperate for him to come home and miss him so much."

In an interview with the Yorkshire Post last week, Mrs Spence said her husband had been "a little bit down in the dumps" but added that his disappearance had been completely out of character.