Missing student was ‘waiting for someone’ before he vanished

Student Tom Jones, pictured, vanished from Worcester last week after a night out

Police searching for a missing university student have recovered a body from a river, it was revealed today.  

West Mercia Police recovered the body of 18-year-old Tom Jones from the River Severn in Worcester today.

Officers had cordoned off an area around by the river close to Worcester Cricket Club shortly before 4pm today.

Search and rescue teams entered the water in a rubber dingy and recovered the body, at a quayside near Worcester Cathedral. The body was then taken away in an ambulance.

The body was also confirmed as Tom by his best friend Harley Hetherington.

In a touching tribute he said: ‘Tom – The whole country loves you mate and even further beyond.

‘We all know that you’re up there somewhere smiling and knowing that you are and always will be loved by every single one of us. 

‘You were and always will be in every single one of our hearts and we all love you forever. 

‘Thank you for being in all of our lives and making us all smile.’  

Police have conducted extensive searches of the River Severn this week looking for Tom

Police have conducted extensive searches of the River Severn this week looking for Tom

Vicki and Ian Jones holding up a missing persons sign for their son earlier this week 

Vicki and Ian Jones holding up a missing persons sign for their son earlier this week 

In a message to all of the volunteers who had joined the search for the missing student, Harley said he wanted to ‘thank you all for all the hard work’.

He wrote: ‘It is with deep sadness that I must inform you all that a body has been recovered from the River Severn this afternoon by police forces.  

‘Although no formal identification has taken place as of yet I want to send a formal message now to you all to stop speculation immediately.

‘I must thank you all for all the hard work you have put in to help the cause and I can say that Tom’s family and friends are all so thankful for every single one of you and the work you guys have all done.’

Earlier, Tom’s best friend had revealed that the teenager said he was waiting for someone just before he disappeared.

Harley was one of the last people to speak to Tom, who had been in Velvet nightclub on a night out in Worcester.

West Mercia Police recovered the body of 18-year-old Tom from the River Severn in Worcester

West Mercia Police recovered the body of 18-year-old Tom from the River Severn in Worcester

Search and rescue teams entered the water in a rubber dingy and recovered the body today

Search and rescue teams entered the water in a rubber dingy and recovered the body today

Harley said he saw Tom dancing in the club at about 2.30am, adding: ‘I went to leave and I asked him if he’d be OK getting back. And he said he was waiting for somebody and then he’d be off.

‘He told me and a few other people on the night that he was with somebody but no-one know who and CCTV footage suggest he may not have been.

‘He might have been with someone or about to meet someone at some point, we just don’t know.’

Harley added: ‘Thinking logically, from 3.46am to 3.48am, that’s when he went missing. It’s a two-minute time period.

A search of the River Severn was carried out for the missing teenager in Worcester on Monday

A search of the River Severn was carried out for the missing teenager in Worcester on Monday

Officers had cordoned off an area around by the river close to Worcester Cricket Club today

Officers had cordoned off an area around by the river close to Worcester Cricket Club today

‘From my perspective, I can’t see how you could go missing in that time, people don’t just vanish.

‘The only thing I can think is he’s ended up in the river or he’s been taken by someone. They’re the only conclusions I can come to.’

He knew Tom from school in Bromsgrove, where they grew up, and they had both enrolled on the same teaching degree at Worcester University.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk