Body recovered from River Wear is believed to be that of missing Sunderland man Ky Parker

Ky, 37, was reported missing in the early hours of Sunday, May 23 after leaving an address in the Bede Street area of the city about 1am.

A search was immediately launched and police established his likely route on the morning in question, with a man matching his description spotted walking along the riverside path past the National Glass Centre towards Wearmouth Bridge.

Enquiries to trace Ky have focused around that location but last night, Monday, June 7, a body was discovered in the River Wear.

Formal identification is yet to take place but police say they do believe the body is that of Ky. Officers have informed his family and are offering them support at this time.

There is not believed to be any third party involvement in the death and a report will be made for the coroner.

Mr Parker’s family launched an appeal for help to trace him.

Detective Chief Inspector Sean Mcguigan, of Northumbria Police, said: “This is the update that we did not want to deliver and our thoughts go out to Ky’s family, friends and all who knew him.

“We will continue to offer them any support that they need as they attempt to come to terms with this tragic news, and I’d ask that their privacy is respected at this time. The last fortnight has been incredibly difficult for them.

“As part of our search for Ky, we released details to the media and ran a public appeal for information in the hope that we could locate him safe and well, but sadly that has not proven possible.

“We are sad that we could not bring you more positive news, but I would like to offer a sincere thanks to Ky’s family and the entire community who rallied behind our search and helped to ensure the appeal to find him was spread far and wide.

“The community really came together to support us in a collective bid to locate Ky, and for that I am incredibly grateful.

“I’d also like to thank all the officers, staff and volunteers involved in the extensive search for Ky over the last two weeks – it is very much appreciated.”

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