Body is found in the River Ouse in search for missing schoolgirl

Body is found in the River Ouse in search for missing schoolgirl, 16, who vanished more than a week ago

• Leah Bedford, 16, was last seen by her friends on the morning of September 20

The body of a missing 16-year-old schoolgirl is believed to have been found in a river following an extensive search for the teenager after she vanished more than a week ago.

Leah Bedford, 16, is tragically thought to have been found by officers in the River Ouse in York, North Yorkshire, at around 1pm today.

Leah was last seen by her friends on the morning of September 20 and a confirmed sighting of on CCTV shows her at the edge of the river near Lendal Bridge on September 20.

Underwater search officers also discovered a mobile phone used by Leah in the river on September 25.

Formal identification has yet to have taken place but Leah’s next of kin have been informed about the discovery.

The body of Leah Bedford, 16, was tragically found by officers in the River Ouse in York, North Yorkshire, at around 1pm today 

Leah was last seen by her friends on the morning of September 20 and a confirmed sighting of her on CCTV showed her at the edge of the River Ouse, later that day

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: ‘Although formal identification has yet to be carried out, Leah’s next of kin have been informed.

‘Pending the results of a post mortem, a report will be prepared for the Coroner to inform a future inquest.’

Underwater searches began on Monday 25 September with the help of specialist underwater search officers from the Regional Marine and Underwater Search Team.

The original appeal said that concerns were ‘growing for a missing 16-year-old girl from York’.

It added: ‘Leah was last seen by her friends on Wednesday (20 September 2023) morning.

Formal identification has yet to have taken place but Leah’s next of kin have been informed about the discovery

‘She has not been seen at her home address for 48 hours and was reported missing on Wednesday afternoon.

‘Extensive enquiries are ongoing in and around York. This includes working with British Transport Police and bus operators in case Leah has travelled away from the city.

‘We are urgently appealing for any possible sightings of Leah or any information that could help us to locate her and confirm she is safe.’

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