Police chief defiant over missing man probe

Russell's father Roger, 57, has questioned several aspects of the inquiry since his 18-year-old son went missing on March 2 and believes he may have been murdered.

But the police say the most likely explanation is that Russell had an accident or killed himself.

Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Kerman, head of crime management at Humberside Police, said he sympathised with Mr Bohling over his loss, but his criticism of the investigation was unfounded.

He said: "Any family we deal with has a right to question us and ask questions about the investigation, and I have got no problem with that. But Mr Bohling has got to understand if he's criticising CID over whether we have acted properly I have got a right to defend us.

"This has been a case led by CID at Beverley under DCI Mathew Hutchinson. I know the officers working with that team and they are all very committed and professional detectives and in my view they have done their very best with this to try to resolve it for the family, and I can just say as head of crime for Humberside Police they enjoy my utmost confidence."

Mr Kerman, a former national police commander for disaster victim identification, dismissed Mr Bohling's claim that a fingerprint found in Russell's car at a nature reserve near Bridlington may not be his, and said the forensic work had been "first class".

He said: "If he's suggesting some other person went into Russell's bedroom and left prints and the same person was involved in leaving his car at Bempton, that's stretching it beyond belief."

He added: "I hope he can come to terms with the fact that Russell may have had a tragic accident or killed himself. I don't want him to torture himself with this idea he has been kidnapped and murdered because there is no evidence for that."