
Police issue major update in reservoir search for missing dad
Police have recovered a body in the search for a misisng dad after a boat capsized at the Draycote Water reservoir in Rugby, Warwickshire, on Thursday afternoon
Police have confirmed a body, believed to be that of the man who fell into the water yesterday afternoon, has been found during in the search of Draycote Water reservoir this evening.
Emergency services rushed to the Draycote Water reservoir, in Rugby, Warwickshire, at about 3.30pm on Thursday. The man's son, who was on the boat with him, wasn't injured in the incident and was rescued.
In an update this evening, shortly after 11.30pm, Warwickshire Police have confirmed they belive the body rercovered is that of the missing dad.
The man's teenage son had already been pulled from the water when West Midlands Ambulance Service crews arrived at the scene on Thursday, a spokesperson said. They said he "was assessed but did not require further treatment and was discharged at the scene."
Draycote Water is a 240-hectare reservoir and country park that draws its water from River Leam which then supplies drinking water to Rugby and Coventry. It is owned and operated by Severn Trent Water. The site is a haven for sailing, windsurfing and it also attracts anglers
In a Facebook post this evneing the police force said: "We are sad to report that a body has been found in Draycote Water this evening and it is it is believed to be that of the man who fell into the water yesterday afternoon (Thursday, 29 May 2025). His teenage son also fell in, but was rescued by two members of the public and he did not sustain any injuries.
"Our Local Area Commander for Rugby, Chief Inspector Angus Eagles has shared the following statement: 'Our thoughts are very much with the man's family at this incredibly difficult time and I would ask that their privacy continues to be respected.
'Since yesterday, an intensive search operation has been underway that has seen a range of specialist search tactics and technology being used. I don't underestimate the impact this tragic incident, and the large-scale search operation will have had on local people and businesses. Thank you all for your patience and understanding while our officers worked tirelessly to find the man.
The death is not being treated as suspicious.

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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Five disturbing details missing from Netflix's Chris Watts murder documentary
Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door tells the real-life story of how one man brutally murdered his wife and children, before dumping their bodies in the most callous way. However, some key details were omitted Netflix is known for its regularly updated stream of gripping and shocking true crime content, but one documentary remains one of the most horrifying. Viewers were left so deeply disturbed by Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door, they were 'sick to their stomach' when it was first added to the streaming platform. The show told the story of a father who brutally murdered his pregnant wife and children. On August 13, 2018, Chris Watts, 35, strangled his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, 34, to death and then killed his two daughters, Bella, four, and Celeste, three, in Colorado, where the family lived. Shanann's body was found on property owned by Anadarko Petroleum, one of the US's largest oil and gas drillers in Colorado, where Watts worked as an operator. Investigators found the bodies of Bella and Celeste nearby in an oil tank. Watts pleaded guilty to nine charges, including murder and the unlawful termination of a pregnancy. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole in Wisconsin. The Netflix documentary, which was aired in 2020, followed the tragic turn of events. From showing how Chris and Shannan met and began their romance to the aftermath of her and their daughters' murder, the documentary also used real-life footage to bring Watts' crimes to life. As seen on the doc, he eventually confessed to the triple murder, but some details from the story were omitted. Here, the Mirror looks at the five chilling details that were missing from the documentary, as reported by US news site 1. 'Evil' mother-in-law Shannan isn't thought to have had a good relationship with Chris Watts' parents and branded her mother-in-law, Cindy Watts, "evil". She believed Cindy endangered their youngest daughter, Celeste, by serving her ice cream with peanut chips, despite her severe nut allergy, Daily Mail reported. 'You should call your dad and tell him you did not appreciate your mom putting your daughter at risk today,' she told her husband in a furious message. 'She's evil and willing to risk your daughter's life just to get under my skin.' Tensions escalated to the point where Watts' parents reportedly blocked Shanann on Facebook and skipped Celeste's birthday party entirely. They hadn't even attended their son's wedding. As the doc showed, devastated Cindy vowed in court to continue to support her son despite his despicable crimes, which included the deaths of his young daughters. 2. Marriage obsession American Murder: The Family Next Door depicted Watts as having an affair with coworker Nichol Kessinger, but it didn't reveal that the illicit romance was a full-blown relationship and Kessinger had hopes of marrying Watts, reports Daily Mail. Just nine days before the murders, on August 4, 2018, Kessinger searched Google for over two hours, looking at wedding dresses. She also browsed topics related to 'marrying your mistress,' according to Business Insider. After discovering Watts had lied to her, Kessinger is said to have later filed to change her name in Jefferson County, Colorado. 3. Alleged affairs Amanda McMahon claimed she had a one-night stand with Watts in March 2018 after meeting him on Tinder. 'It got really fast and aggressive,' she said of the encounter. She told the police that she had to physically fight Watts off her after he turned violent, putting his hands around her throat and trying to initiate anal sex despite her reluctance. He also reportedly revealed details of his "rape fantasy" to her in extreme detail. And a few months after the murders, The Mirror spoke to the gay escort Trent Bolte, who claimed he had a 10-month affair with Watts in 2018. However, Watts denied any involvement. 'I've never been with a guy,' he told police. 4. Female prison visitor According to an 'Inmate Visitation History' document dated January 6, 2020, a woman named Anna Nowak was approved to see Watts and made 31 visits between March and December 2019. The document shows that she was once turned away after exceeding the maximum visits for a single day. 5. Plans for romantic getaway The documentary hinted at marriage troubles - using Shanann's own text messages, but she also made serious efforts to save the relationship - because she loved her husband and she didn't want a broken home for her two daughters who doted on their father, The Daily Mail reported that the unsuspecting spouse was looking for travel deals on Groupon and had also arranged childcare for Bella and Celeste so she and her future killer could holiday together. To the outside world, the Watts looked like any family next door - a loving couple and two adorable children living a happy, normal life together. But behind closed doors, it was a very different and horrifying story.


Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Why Lucy Letby's lawyers are ramping up killer's freedom bid after bombshell twist in ANOTHER infamous murder case
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Advertisement 9 Lucy Letby was convicted of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of seven more Credit: Enterprise 9 But her supporters believe she is the victim of a miscarriage of justice Credit: Alamy The growing band of Letby champions, including MP David Davis, have been buoyed by the recent release of Peter Sullivan, 68, who was freed after 38 years when his murder conviction was overturned. The Court of Appeal quashed his conviction for the murder and sexual assault of 21-year-old florist Diane Sindall, who was battered to death in 1986, when a DNA testing breakthrough proved he was not a match for a semen sample found on her body. On a Facebook group set up for Letby's followers, one supporter said: 'There's another victim, Peter Sullivan, of a miscarriage of justice freed after 38 years of wrongful incarceration for a crime he did not commit. Advertisement 'We need to put more pressure on our local MPs to speed up Lucy's appeal.' But far from offering a glimmer of hope to the 'Letby is innocent' brigade, the handling of Sullivan's case and that of Andrew Malkinson, wrongly convicted of rape, merely proves it could be years before the evidence is reviewed. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which is currently considering an application for an appeal from Letby's lawyers, has been slammed by critics as 'not fit for purpose' after delays and blunders left the two innocent men floundering in jail years after new evidence that finally cleared them came to light. The legal team for Malkinson, who served 17 years before his rape conviction was quashed in 2023, spent more than a decade pleading with the CCRC to conduct DNA tests on samples taken from the victim, but was repeatedly refused. Those tests, it later emerged, would have seen him released at least a decade earlier. Advertisement Similarly Sullivan, who was dubbed the 'Beast of Birkenhead', spent 38 years behind bars protesting his innocence despite his lawyers telling the CCRC in 2008 that DNA analysis of a semen sample found on the victim would clear him. And while the forensic test known as Y-STR, which eventually proved his innocence, became available in 2013, the CCRC waited until 2021 to order proper tests, and another four years before he was acquitted. I defend baby killers like Lucy Letby – bombshell new theory could FREE her but I know real truth… & it's NOT medical The Commission's chair, Helen Pitcher, who earned £95,000 a year for a two-day week, was forced to quit in April after Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was 'unfit' for the role. Now there are calls for the resignation of chief executive Karen Kneller, a lawyer who received a £130,000 salary from taxpayers last year. A report into the Malkinson case, by KC Chris Henley, found Kneller was 'head of casework' at the time of the CCRC's "very poor" work and slammed staff for "muddled" thinking, "casual and dismissive" language and failing to read evidence. Advertisement She was also in the role when Peter Sullivan's team made their first approach. 9 Peter Sullivan, dubbed the 'Beast of Birkenhead', spent 38 years behind bars protesting his innocence before he was released earlier this year 9 Andrew Malkinson was wrongly convicted of rape Credit: BBC Swell of support Letby, originally from Hereford, is facing 15 whole life sentences for the murders and attempted murders at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire. Since her two trials, in August 2023 and October 2024, a swell of support has been building for the 35-year-old. Advertisement Dr Shoo Lee, an eminent neonatal expert who claims his research was incorrectly interpreted by the prosecution to convict Letby, has said 'the medical evidence doesn't support murder [or attempted murder]' in any of the cases'. He is backed by a growing number of those who believe the case against her is flawed. In February, Letby's legal team submitted an application to the CCRC - set up in 1997 to review possible miscarriages of justice - with barrister Mark McDonald hand-delivering the full findings of a 14-strong international panel of experts. Her supporters argue that the babies could have died of natural causes, and Dr Lee claimed his findings on skin discolouration used to support the theory that the nurse killed some of the children by injecting them with air was "misrepresented" in court and that the evidence "wasn't quite right". He and the panel examined all 17 cases cited in the trial and concluded: 'Death or injury of all the affected infants were due either to natural causes or to errors in medical care.' Advertisement Last month, an email emerged which appeared to contradict a consultant's testament he had caught Letby 'red-handed', standing over the cot of the victim known as Baby K as he was deteriorating without calling for help. In the bombshell missive sent to colleagues at the Countess of Chester Hospital on May 4, 2017, which was not read in court, Dr Ravi Jayaram wrote: 'At time of deterioration... Staff nurse Letby (was) at the incubator and called Dr Jayaram to inform of low saturations.' He added: 'Baby K subsequently deteriorated and eventually died, but events around this would fit with explainable events associated with extreme prematurity.' 'Not fit for purpose' 9 The Court of Appeal quashed Peter Sullivan's conviction for the murder and sexual assault of 21-year-old florist Diane Sindall Credit: PA Following the release of Peter Sullivan, Letby has been flooded with a fresh wave of support, with her loyal band of followers drawing apparent inspiration from the latest acquittal. Advertisement One man wrote: 'A new police investigation and new compensation claims. Those people in charge don't want that to happen anytime soon.' Another posted: 'Lucy and Peter Sullivan were found guilty of a crime by a jury and sentenced accordingly. 'I believe that only pressure from MPs and Lucy's legal team can speed up her case review. Unfortunately our legal system is not fit for purpose when it comes to addressing mistakes.' A link about how to raise the matter with your local MP has been posted to the site. A follower said: 'In Lucy's case there was NO crime so hopefully we can keep pushing that aspect and save the long wait for a retrial.' Advertisement One woman referred to the CCRC as the 'Criminally Corrupt Reluctance Committee'. Referring to how Mr Sullivan must feel and drawing parallels between the two cases, another supporter said: 'It must be horribly frustrating for him… just as it is for Lucy.' The page, vowing that one day Letby will be freed, has seen an increase to over 3,400 followers. Internet sleuths still pore over the evidence from the trials and press coverage in online forums such as Reddit and Mumsnet. The pages have been flooded with discussions about supposed 'similarities' between the former nurse and Mr Sullivan, who they say were both wrongly jailed. Advertisement One fan said: 'Worth noting that Mr Sullivan appears to have repeatedly made false statements to the police, a bit like what the Crown claimed Letby did.' Another posted: 'I was struck by the careful emphasis throughout that no one was being blamed for having got it wrong before. It makes me worried for Lucy Letby.' £1million payout 9 Following the release of Peter Sullivan, Letby has been flooded with a fresh wave of support 9 MP David Davis is among Letby's supporters Credit: PA After the CCRC refused Sullivan's first attempt to challenge his conviction in 2008 he lost his appeal bid in 2019, before again asking the CCRC to refer his case in 2021, raising concerns over police interviews, bite mark evidence used during his trial and the murder weapon. Advertisement Merseyside Police reopened the investigation in 2023 after the commission found that DNA samples taken from the scene did not match Mr Sullivan. He's now in line for a £1million payout, the maximum compensation claim for a wrongful conviction. Letby lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal. Lawyer Katie Wheatley, partner at Bindmans and head of the Crime, Fraud and Regulatory team, said that while the two cases are 'very different in nature', the legal test for the CCRC remains the same. She said: 'Mr Sullivan was cleared by the Court of Appeal after new DNA tests obtained by the CCRC cast very significant doubt on the safety of his conviction. Advertisement 'In Lucy Letby's case, her lawyer has said that the CCRC has been provided with new medical evidence from a panel of neonatologists and paediatric experts. 'It will be up to the CCRC to review this material and carry out any further investigations it considers appropriate. 'When considering whether to refer Lucy Letby's case to the Court of Appeal, the CCRC will apply the legal test for referral which is whether it considers there is a real possibility that the Court of Appeal will quash her convictions. 'Thus, while the cases are very different in nature, the legal test applied by the CCRC will be the same.' Timeline of horror - how Letby targeted babies LUCY Letby carried out her horrific crimes in a year-long period at Countess of Chester Hospital. She used insulin and air to inject newborns while working on the neo-natal ward. The collapses and deaths of the children were not 'naturally-occurring tragedies' and instead the gruesome work of 'poisoner' Letby. Her rampage was finally uncovered after staff grew suspicious of the "significant rise" in the number of babies dying or suffering "catastrophic" collapses. Letby was found to be the "common denominator" among the horrifying incidents. Officers then searched her three-bedroom home in Chester and discovered a chilling cache of evidence. The nurse had scribbled haunting notes in diaries and on Post-It notes, including one that read: "I am evil I did this." The note added: "I don't deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them. "I am a horrible person." A probe into whether Letby harmed any other babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital is ongoing. A corporate manslaughter investigation is also ongoing, as is now a gross negligence manslaughter one. The CCRC receives 1,500-1,600 cases each year, referring around 30 back to the Court of Appeal. Advertisement The Law Commission is currently consulting on whether the 'real possibility' legal test that the CCRC currently applies should be changed to reflect the body's own view of whether a conviction might be unsafe, rather than having to predict what the Court of Appeal might think. Katie added: 'A change in the legal test might result in the CCRC broadening the focus of its investigations and being able to refer more cases to the Court of Appeal to review.' Even if the CCRC decides to refer Letby's case following the 14-strong panel's findings, the complexity of the case means it could take years, according to legal experts. Meanwhile, lawyers for the families of Letby's victims rubbished the report, claiming it's "full of analytical holes" and "a rehash" of the defence case heard at trial. Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, of Cheshire Police, also hit back at 'ill-informed and insensitive' critics questioning her guilt. Advertisement In a strongly worded statement, he insisted the former nurse's case had been 'rigorously and fairly tested' by two juries and two sets of appeal court judges after a painstaking six-year police investigation. Referring to the victims' families, he added: 'Their dignity and composure in the face of intense public discussions with little sensitivity or humanity is remarkable. 'Their words are incredibly honest and powerful and must not be lost in a sea of noise.' Undeterred 9 Letby was arrested at home in Chester in July 2018 Credit: AFP 9 The former nurse carried out her horrific crimes in a year-long period at Countess of Chester Hospital Credit: Getty Advertisement In November, Lady Justice Thirlwall is due to publish the findings from the public inquiry into how the former nurse was able to commit her crimes. Cheshire Constabulary is continuing a review of deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Women's Hospital during Letby's time as a nurse from 2012 to 2016. But Letby's supporters seem far from deterred and even threw a party to celebrate her 35th birthday at a pub in Clapham, south London. They filled the public gallery during her trial and protested outside Manchester crown court, wearing yellow butterfly badges to match one seen in a photo of Letby in scrubs. Every December since her conviction in 2023, they have sent her Christmas cards in prison. Advertisement But, even if there are flaws in the prosecution, it will be a long time before they can celebrate a fresh appeal.


North Wales Live
4 hours ago
- North Wales Live
Concerns for backpacker, 25, missing for five days in Far East
Concerns are growing for a backpacker who has gone missing on a solo tour of South East Asia. Jordan Johnson-Doyle, 25, is in Malaysia but has not been heard from since Tuesday, May 27. Family and friends spent days frantically trying to get in touch with him by phone, email and social media before his phone went dead on Friday, May 30. Jordan's mum Leanne Burnett, of Southport, said: "I have been been feeling just sick, numb. I just want to get over there, find him and bring him home. I want him to know we're looking for him and we're coming to get him," reports the Liverpool ECHO. She added: "I have no idea what has happened. All I know is something is really wrong for him not to contact anybody. I know what he's like and he knows how worried everyone gets at home, that's why he checks in all the time." She said: "If he was to lose his phone and laptop, if someone had stolen that off him, he knows my number by heart and he would contact. He would go to the nearest hotel to use the phone, or go to an internet café. He'd find a way to get hold of us." The 25-year-old's last known location was the Healy Mac's Irish Bar in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, at around 8pm on Tuesday, May 27, when he sent his best friend Owen a photograph of the pub's quiz night poster. He is also believed to have visited The Social, a bar near Healy Mac's. On Wednesday morning BST (seven hours behind Malaysia), Leanne said she checked the "Find My iPhone" tracking service for the location of her son's mobile phone, and saw it was located at a residential flat block near the bar. Leanne said: "I speak to Jordan every day and I have him on find my iPhone, so I always have a look before I go to bed and when I wake in the morning. But when I woke up on the Wednesday morning, his Find My iPhone had not updated. It just said 'last seen 11 hours ago'. "It means it's either out of signal or out of range. And this was the last place it had a signal. It was a block of flats in that same area, literally down the road from the bar." She added: "I carried on tracking him throughout the day, trying to phone him as well. I couldn't get hold of him on Facebook or Instagram. If he does lose his phone, he usually messages me on Facebook or Instagram. "But it just kept on showing at this location, and the 'time last seen' kept going up and up, and now the phone has gone off completely. It's run out of battery." Jordan's last known message, sent to his best friend Owen at around 8pm on Tuesday, May 27 Jordan's phone went dead on Friday, May 30, three days after he was last seen. Leanne said: "I'm a really worried mum because he's working away. So he knows if I can't contact him, he will contact me. "I did get a bit anxious and started checking Find My iPhone a bit more and checking Instagram, but just nothing. I didn't hear from him on Tuesday and by Wednesday I couldn't get his location. "Then his phone went off, and that's when I contacted his best friend Owen, and he said he hadn't heard from him since Tuesday and was getting worried himself. I called the police straight away." Jordan, a software engineer, had been backpacking around the Mediterranean and South East Asia for around a year and a half while working remotely for an American company. He arrived in Malaysia on May 17 after previously visiting Vietnam, and is believed to have been staying at the Robertson Residences at Bukit, Kuala Lumpur. And Leanne, 44, said she last spoke to him on Monday, May 26, and their conversation had been the usual chit-chat about their working days. She said: "He seemed absolutely fine and normal. "Nothing stood out whatsoever. We always end the phone call with 'love long time' and that was the very last thing we said to each other." Leanne has reported Jordan missing to Merseyside Police and contacted the British Consulate and police in Malaysia. She said the family had also tried to contact the hotel where Jordan is believed to have been staying, but struggled due to the language barrier. His workplace has also been informed. Leanne said: "It has been awful. But all his friends and family have been rallying round. We've pieced together the last pictures and memes he's been sanding, we've got his messages, so we're building up a timeline of his movements. "His dad is travelling out there today, and me, his brother, best friends and his stepdad are going out tomorrow." She begged members of the public to share her son's missing persons appeal far and wide. She said: "Jordan was really shy in high school, but since he has got his job and turned into a man he's become really outgoing, so funny, very intelligent. "He's got a massive work ethic and is very loving. He looks after his brother. His brother looks up to him so much and he's loved by everyone, all his friends and family. "We're very worried. My friends and family are constantly here. We've got a group set up. "I've got family posting all over Facebook and whatever Malaysian sites we can find. We've got others contacting our MP. We're just doing everything we can. "Please share anything. If anybody has seen him, please share it far and wide. If anyone has heard from him, seen him, seen him active on social media - anything. We just need to find him and bring him home." * Merseyside Police has been approached for comment. Leanne said the police incident reference for anyone reporting a sighting to Merseyside Police was 5198 as of May 30, 2025. Leanne's full appeal and contact details are here.