A body has been discovered on Withernsea beach during the search for teenager Grace Keeling, police have confirmed. The find comes after the heartbreaking disappearance of 15-year-old Grace who was swept out to sea in stormy conditions two weeks ago.
Humberside Police say emergency services and HM Coastguard are at the Holmpton Road area and are working to carefully retrieve the body from amongst the rocks. The discovery was made on Thursday morning (January 15) but tidal conditions have meant recovery “could not be immediately carried out”.
Grace was tragically pulled into the sea at Withernsea on January 2 in a devastating incident that left the East Yorkshire town grief-stricken, reports Hull Live.
(Image: Humberside Police /PA Wire)
Her mum Sarah Keeling, 45, entered the water attempting to rescue her and also perished, alongside 67-year-old bystander Mark Ratcliffe, who tried to assist them both. The bodies of Sarah and Mark were retrieved on the evening of Friday, January 2.
The alert had been raised just after 3pm that afternoon, sparking a multi-agency search and rescue mission involving the Coastguard, RNLI, Humberside Police, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service and Yorkshire Ambulance Service. The hunt for Grace resumed on Saturday, January 3, amid harsh winter conditions including snow and sub-zero temperatures, but was abandoned in the late afternoon.
Detective Superintendent Simon Vickers, of Humberside Police, announced in a statement today (January 16): “At around 8.30am [on Thursday], a body was discovered by Humberside Police Search Advisors. However, due to tide times and conditions, despite every effort it was not possible to carry out a safe recovery before high tide.
(Image: Donna Clifford/Hull Live)
“The location was secured overnight using specialist equipment, and a cordon remains in place around the area. Today (Friday, January 16), officers and specialist teams have been working to explore every possible option in very complex circumstances to delicately recover the body.
“However, due to tide times, conditions and the location, the recovery could not be immediately carried out and has therefore been paused until it is safe to resume. Whilst no formal identification has taken place at this time, we recognise that this discovery comes after 15-year-old Grace Keeling was swept into the water on Friday, January 2, and extensive searches have followed over the last thirteen days to locate her.
“I appreciate this update will understandably cause concern to members of the public. However I would like to offer my reassurance that we have a dedicated team of specialists who are doing everything they can in their efforts to carry out the recovery as safely and as quickly as possible.
“Specialist officers have been in contact with Grace’s family to make them aware of this discovery, and we would please ask people to refrain from speculation with consideration and respect for their privacy. We would also ask the public to avoid the area to allow emergency services to work safely.
“Further updates will be provided as soon as we are able to.” Following the tragedy, heartfelt tributes poured in for Mark – “a loving husband, father, son, brother and the best grandad anybody could ever wish for”.
His family portrayed him as a “selfless hero with a heart of gold” and his devastated hometown of Withernsea shared their sentiments. Grace and Sarah hailed from Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire. Throughout the massive search effort, the close-knit, stunned community in Withernsea rallied together to support those affected, and in the subsequent days, heartfelt tributes including flowers and teddy bears were placed at Pier Towers close to the scene.