The mother of missing student Richard Okorogheye spoke yesterday of her devastation after she was told that police searching for her son had found a body that matched his description. Mr Okorogheye was last seen on CCTV in Loughton, Essex, in the early hours of 23 March, walking towards Epping Forest.
Officers spoke to the family of the 19-year-old, who has sickle cell disease, as they waited for formal identification of the body.
Mr Okorogheye's mother, Evidence Joel, told the Evening Standard: “We thought Richard would be found, or would just come home. But he’s not. My baby will never come home to his mummy again. He was taken away from me too early. The only child I have. It’s devastating and the last thing I thought I’d hear.”
Speaking to reporters outside Scotland Yard yesterday, Detective Superintendent Danny Gosling, of Metropolitan Police, said: “[On Monday] afternoon we were informed by colleagues from Essex Police that a body had been found in a lake in the Epping Forest area.
“Whilst we wait for formal identification, we have spoken to Richard’s family to update them with this latest development. Our specially trained officers remain with the family as they have done throughout this inquiry.”
Det Supt Gosling said police remained in Epping Forest to carry out further searches as they tried to piece together what happened to Mr Okorogheye. “The postmortem examination will take place shortly and we are also waiting for formal identification,” he said. “This is an extensive inquiry, and we are working tirelessly to establish the full circumstances. This includes forensic medical and specialist inquiries, which all take time to complete.”
The force said Mr Okorogheye’s phone had not been in use since his disappearance.
Ms Joel previously said her son had spoken of “struggling to cope” with university pressures and had been shielding during the Covid-19 lockdown. As someone with sickle cell disease, the teenager would only leave the house to go to hospital for regular blood transfusions for his condition, she said.
Ms Joel and Richard’s father, Newton Okorogheye, also criticised the police’s handling of the case, claiming that officers did not take their concerns “seriously” following his disappearance. They said their son was not considered “high risk” until he had been missing for almost one week, despite his health condition. “I told a police officer that my son was missing, please help me find him, and she said, ‘If you can’t find your son, how do you expect police officers to find your son for you?’” Ms Joel said. “I was expecting assurance.”
A Met spokesperson told The Independent that the force’s Directorate of Professional Standards was aware of Mr Okorogheye’s case amid concerns about the force’s response to his disappearance. “We are not aware of any formal complaints. Even in cases without significant publicity, the public can be reassured that work will be going on behind the scenes,” they added.
Speaking after the body was discovered on Monday, she told the MyLondon website: “[The police] said the description matches his, but we’ll go in tomorrow to find out.”
The Samaritans are a charity available 24 hours a day offering a confidential listening service to anyone in distress. To contact the Samaritans helpline, call 116 123. The phone line is open 24 hours, seven days a week