Body of Missing Student Tom Dingle Found in Lancashire

A body believed to be that of 19-year-old university student Tom Dingle was discovered in woodland in Lancashire on Christmas Day, more than 12 days after he vanished while walking alone in the early hours of December 13.

Lancashire Police received a call at 3:12 p.m. on December 25 from a member of the public who had found the deceased man in an area off Lees Lane in Dalton, near Skelmersdale. Although formal identification is pending, officers stated they are confident the body is Tom's. The teenager, a Lancaster University student from Appley Bridge, had last been captured on CCTV footage walking along Stonemill Rise and Mill Lane in Appley Bridge around 12:30 a.m. on the day he disappeared. He was heading toward the Boathouse Pub, dressed in a black Carhartt hooded jacket, black Doc Marten boots, jeans, and carrying a backpack.

Tom's family has been informed and is receiving support from specially trained officers. In a statement released on December 26, Lancashire Police expressed condolences, saying, "Our thoughts are very much with them at this extremely distressing time. We would ask that their privacy is respected as they come to terms with this devastating news." The...