A BODY has tragically been found on a riverbank in the search for a missing man.

Cops believe the dead man is Christopher Davies, 34, who has been missing since February.

Christopher Davies, 34, went missing on February 11 near SunderlandCredit: Refer to source
 
A body, believed to be Christopher, was found in the police search yesterdayCredit: Refer to source
No formal identification of the body has taken place yet.

But Northumbria Police said it had informed Christopher’s next of kin of the “desperately sad” discovery.

The force said it is not treating the man’s death as suspicious.

Christopher was last seen nearly a month ago on the evening of February 11 in Concord, an area of Sunderland.

Police said it had “carried out extensive enquiries to find him including a comprehensive review of local CCTV and house-to-house enquiries” over the past few weeks.

Tragically, though, the body of a man matching Christopher’s description was found on a riverbank in the area around midday on Wednesday.

Detective Inspector Nick Went, of Northumbria Police’s dedicated Missing Persons Investigation Team, said: “This is a desperately sad conclusion to our investigation and our thoughts are firmly with Christopher’s loved ones at this devastating time.”

The force confirmed it had made the discovery on the north bank of the River Wear in Washington, near where he was last seen.

It added the body is believed to be Christopher, and his next of kin are being supported by officers.

“We believe there to be no suspicious circumstances involved and a report will be prepared for the coroner,” Went said.

He added: “I’d like to thank all of the officers who took part in searches to locate Christopher over the past few weeks for their efforts.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank those members of the public who shared our various appeals on social media and contacted us with information.

“Your support is very much appreciated by ourselves and Christopher’s family.”