The family of a Billingham teenager Lewis Penfold-Roche have thanked the community for their efforts after a police search resulted in a body being found.
Cleveland Police confirmed they received a call at 3.20pm on Monday (March 11) alerting them to a body being found.
No formal identification has taken place, but police have informed the family and they continue to be supported by specialist officers.
Lewis’ mother has thanked all those who helped search for her son for their support throughout.
In a joint statement online, his family said: “While we take time to process this information and mourn the loss of our Lewis, please respect our privacy.
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“We would like to take this opportunity to thank absolutely everyone who helped us over the last six weeks to find Lewis.
“We really appreciate every single one of you for your help.
“Unfortunately, we got the outcome none of us ever dreamed of. As a family, we would now ask that you don't forget about him.”
A fundraiser for the family can be found here.
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