Body of missing six-year-old boy found after he slipped into river on fishing trip

The body of a boy who went missing after slipping into a Kent river has been found after a four-day search.

Lucas Dobson, six, went missing on Saturday afternoon after he fell into the River Stour in Sandwich while on a fishing trip with his family.

A body found yesterday in the river was confirmed to be his. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Chief

Insp Mark Weller said: “I can confirm the body is that of missing Lucas.

“It brings an end to our search and I would like to echo Lucas’s family’s message of thanks to those who came out to help search for him in the last few days. The community support we have witnessed has been heart-warming, even in the most tragic of circumstances. While the

search may have ended, our support to Lucas’s family continues.”

Maciee Stanford, 18, Lucas’s aunt, said the boy’s father jumped into the water after he fell between a jetty and a boat, but “the current was too strong, he had already gone”.

Volunteers were warned about their own safety and told by police to stay away from the water’s edge.