Police have discovered a body on a beach in their search for missing teenager Grace Keeling.
The 15-year-old has not been found after falling into the water at Withernsea, Yorkshire, on Friday January 2. Her mum, Sarah Keeling, 45, and passer-by Mark Ratcliffe, 67, immediately jumped in to try save her. Tragically, both died in the incident. Mr Ratcliffe was found unconscious during the initial searches, while Keeling was later recovered by HM Coastguard days later.
Grace and a friend had been on the steps close to the rocks when she is “believed to have fallen into the water after being swept by a wave”. Just seconds earlier, the teen, who had been wave watching with mum Sarah from the top of the steps, vanished as 12-foot waves battered the promenade.
Now, Humberside Police have confirmed a body has been found. Emergency services and HM Coastguard are in area and are in the process of attempting to delicately recover the body from among the rocks. The find was made on Thursday morning, they announced, but tide times and conditions have meant recovery “could not be immediately carried out”.
Hero Mark Ratcliffe died trying to safe the girl (
Image:
Humberside Police / SWNS)
In a statement today, Detective Superintendent Simon Vickers, of Humberside Police, said: “At around 8.30am on Thursday, a body was discovered by Humberside Police Search Advisors. However, due to tide times and conditions, despite every effort it was not possible to carry out a safe recovery before high tide. The location was secured overnight using specialist equipment, and a cordon remains in place around the area.
“Today (Friday, January 16), officers and specialist teams have been working to explore every possible option in very complex circumstances to delicately recover the body. However, due to tide times, conditions and the location, the recovery could not be immediately carried out and has therefore been paused until it is safe to resume.
“Whilst no formal identification has taken place at this time, we recognise that this discovery comes after 15-year-old Grace Keeling was swept into the water on Friday, January 2, and extensive searches have followed over the last thirteen days to locate her.
“I appreciate this update will understandably cause concern to members of the public. However I would like to offer my reassurance that we have a dedicated team of specialists who are doing everything they can in their efforts to carry out the recovery as safely and as quickly as possible.
“Specialist officers have been in contact with Grace’s family to make them aware of this discovery, and we would please ask people to refrain from speculation with consideration and respect for their privacy. We would also ask the public to avoid the area to allow emergency services to work safely. Further updates will be provided as soon as we are able to.”
Inquests into the deaths of both Sarah, who’d been born in Germany but lived in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, and Mark were opened and adjourned at Hull Coroners’ Court on January 12, with no family members present.
