Leah Bedford: Body found in York river in search for missing schoolgirl

A body has been found in a river in a search for a missing schoolgirl. Officers looking for Leah Bedford, 16, found a body in the River Ouse in York at around 1pm today (September 28).

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

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

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."