Missing boys search LIVE: Four bodies found by North Wales Police in submerged car
Police searching for four teenagers who have been missing after going camping have found their bodies inside a crashed car.[1] A massive hunt was launched for Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, Hugo Morris, 18, and Wilf Henderson after they failed to return home from an overnight trip to the Snowdonia area. North Wales Police said their bodies were recovered from a silver Ford Fiesta which appears to have left the road[2] on the A4085 at Garreg, near Tremadog.
Superintendent Owain Llewelyn said: “At present, this appears to have been a tragic accident, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the four young men at this very difficult time.” He later told reporters out police HQ in St Asaph: “Police officers attended and located a Ford Fiesta vehicle on its roof, partially submerged in water. Tragically, the bodies of four young males were recovered from within the vehicle.” The force said inquiries were ongoing to establish the circumstances that led to the car leaving the road.
It’s understood the group were not experienced campers and had only travelled with basic equipment. The young men were from Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Crystal Owen – Harvey’s mum – said she did not know the boys were going camping[3] and would’ve warned them not to due to the weather.
Among scores of tributes on social media, a friend of one of the teenagers described him as “one in a million”.[4] Follow our live blog below for all the latest developments…
19:50Ryan Merrifield
Girlfriend’s heartbreaking message to ‘gorgeous’ teen found dead with three friends
The girlfriend of one of the teens who died in a crash along with three pals during a camping trip has paid a heartbreaking tribute. A massive hunt was launched for Wilf Henderson, 18, Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, and Hugo Morris, 18, after they failed to return home from an overnight trip to the Snowdonia area.
North Wales Police said this afternoon their bodies were recovered from a silver Ford Fiesta which appeared to have left the road on the A4085 at Garreg, near Tremadog. Wilf’s partner Maddi wrote: “I love you so much baby. I’m going to miss you forever.” She went on to say that her boyfriend was the “sweetest and most loving boy I’ve ever known”, adding: “I hope you know how much I love you gorgeous.”
Click here[5] to read the full story
Wilf Henderson (WALES NEWS SERVICE)19:08Ryan Merrifield
Friend’s tribute to ‘one in a million mate’ found dead with four pals on camping trip
A friend of one of the four teenagers who died after a car accident in Snowdonia National Park has paid tribute, describing him as “one in a million”. Friends and loved ones have been sharing their grief at the news of four bodies being discovered in the search for Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris from Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The four friends, aged between 16 and 17, had been on a camping trip in North Wales but were reported missing on Sunday.
North Wales Police confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that four bodies had been discovered in a silver Ford Fiesta, which was found overturned and partially submerged in a river near the village of Garreg. Click here[6] to read the full story
18:52Ryan Merrifield
Mum of teen found dead with three friends ‘didn’t know he was going on camping trip’
The mum of a teenage boy whose body was found after the car he was travelling in crashed said she did not know he was on a camping trip. Harvey Owen, 17, was one of four friends aged 16 to 18 who died after their Ford Fiesta toppled onto its roof and became partially submerged in water while driving in North Wales.
Crystal Owen, Harvey’s mother, said she did not know the teenagers were going on a camping trip and thought they were going to stay at a friend’s grandfather’s house. Click here[7] to read the full story
18:18Ryan Merrifield
Teens were planning to camp out again on Sunday
The four teenagers were planning to camp in the Eryri area – also known as Snowdonia – on Sunday – when they crashed, police believe. Supt Owain Llewellyn from North Wales Police says the force understands the group travelled to Harlech, Gwynedd, on Saturday.
That’s about 8 miles (13km) from where the police found the car.
A large crane arrives at the village of Garreg, Snowdonia (Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)18:15Ryan Merrifield
Church offering prayer space on Wednesday morning
Trinity Churches Shrewsbury says it will be offering “time and space to pray” in the The Trinity Centre, on Church Road, Meole Brace from 9am tomorrow (Wednesday). “Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, and the wider community at such a sad time,” it says on Facebook. Additional times for prayer will be arranged, it adds.
17:45KEY EVENT
Every word police said in major update over tragic death of four missing teenagers
Four bodies have been discovered in the hunt for four teenagers reported missing in Snowdonia, police have tragically confirmed.
Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Hugo Morris and Wilf Henderson were reported missing on Sunday morning after it was discovered they had gone camping in Eyryi National Park in North Wales. The four, aged between 16 and 17, hadn’t been seen for more than two days when police released the desperately sad update on Tuesday afternoon. Click here[8] to read the full story
Superintendent Owain Llewelyn at North Wales Police HQ (PA)17:02Ryan Merrifield
‘No words can sufficiently reflect the sorrow that this news brings to our whole community’
Dwyfor Meirionnydd Member of Parliament, Liz Saville Roberts and Senedd Member, Mabon ap Gwynfor, have issued a statement following the tragic discovery Snowdonia.
They said: “This news is truly heart-breaking and foremost as parents, our thoughts go out to the families and friends of the four young men whose lives have been tragically lost in this dreadful incident. “We would like to pay tribute to the emergency services and local mountain rescue teams involved in the search operation and to members of the public for their assistance in helping to locate the vehicle. “No words can sufficiently reflect the sorrow that this news brings to our whole community.”
16:47KEY EVENT
Car was found on roof and ‘partially submerged in water’
Supt Owain Llewelyn has confirmed the car was found on its roof, “partially submerged in water”.
He added that formal identification has not yet taken place. Speaking to the press this afternoon, he said: “Officers attended and located a Ford Fiesta vehicle on its roof, partially submerged in water. “Tragically, the bodies of four young males were recovered from within the vehicle.
The families of the missing boys have been informed. Our thoughts are with them at this desperate time. “Whilst the search is concluded, there’s an ongoing investigation to formally identify those within the vehicle and to understand what’s led to this tragic incident.”
16:31KEY EVENT
Four bodies recovered from car, police confirm
Four bodies have been recovered from a car which appears to have left the road on the A4085 at Garreg, near Tremadog, following a search for missing teenagers Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris.
Supt Owain Llewelyn, of North Wales Police, said: “At present, this appears to have been a tragic accident, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the four young men at this very difficult time. “This has been an extensive search involving a number of different agencies and volunteers, and this is sadly not the outcome that any of us would have wanted. “We would ask that the family be afforded the appropriate privacy and respect.”
Investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances, police said. Click here[9] to read the full story
15:45KEY EVENT
Police to hold press conference
Police are set to hold a press conference at 4.30pm after a car was found in the search for the missing teenagers. North Wales Police says a statement will be read to the media by Supt Owain Llewelyn at its headquarters in St Asaph.
But no questions will be taken today, it says.
15:29KEY EVENT
School where teens were former students says it is ‘fully supportive’ of emergency services
Meole Brace School in Shrewsbury, where all four teenagers previously attended, says it is “fully supportive” of emergency service efforts to find the boys. “Jev, Harvey and Wilf left us last year at the end of Year 11, and Hugo the year before. All four boys were well-thought [of] and well-known by the school community,” its head teacher Alan Doust says in a statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families for their safe return.” Meanwhile, Shrewsbury College has confirmed all four boys are students there, studying for their A-levels. “The college’s immediate thoughts are with the family and friends of the teenagers missing.
“This is a very worrying time, and we all want them to be found safe and well,” it says.
Police activity between the village of Garreg and Nantmor (Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)15:25David Powell
Hotel manager got message from handyman about ‘terrible accident’
Manasa Boma, 30, is the manager at The Goat Hotel in Beddgelert, a short distance from the scene of the as yet unconfirmed crash scene. She said: “We’re closed for the winter but our handyman messaged me to say there had been a terrible accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who’s involved.”
Police activity in the village of Garreg, Snowdonia (Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)15:18Nick Sommerlad
Flashing emergency lights could be seen up the valley
This afternoon, flashing emergency lights could be seen up the valley from the roadblock just between Garreg and Nantmor.
They appeared to be attending a spot where the road passes between the river Afon Croesor, swollen by recent heavy rain, and a large 80m rocky outcrop. It is a beautiful area popular with hikers, who today were stopping officers to ask how they could continue their walks. The road that is closed, the A4085, winds its way up to the Pass of Aberglaslyn, a narrow gorge and local landmark.
Retired headteacher Ann Hodgkin, from Nantmor, said she had been woken at 5am by the sound of a helicopter circling overhead. She said: “I heard the helicopter going round and round at 5am this morning. I couldn’t get back to sleep and so I got up and put on the radio.
“I heard about the four missing boys and I thought ‘oh, no’. The police won’t tell me anything but they say I can go back to my home.”
(Daily Post Wales)14:57Rachel Hagan
Everything we know so far
Police searching for four young men who went missing after going camping in North Wales have found their car as search efforts have ramped up. The alarm was raised when sixth form students Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris didn’t return home from what is understood to be a camping trip in north-west Wales.
The young men, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, were due home on Monday morning but none of them have made contact with friends or family. The group were thought to have been travelling in the Harlech and Porthmadog areas of Gwynedd in a silver Ford Fiesta, registration HY14 GVO, North Wales Police said. Read here to find out everything we know so far[10]
14:23KEY EVENT
Forensic vans on the scene
Forensic vans have been pictured in the village of Garreg, Snowdonia near where the police have discovered the vehicle used by four teenagers who went missing on Sunday.
Forensic Collision Investigation unit car going past the cordon in Wales (Rowan Griffiths n)
13:41Rachel Hagan
‘Phone signal can be very patchy’ in the area
A local man who runs Walk Snowdonia, a company that offers hiking experiences to people in the region, has shared some insights on conditions that could be affecting the boy’s plight and the ongoing search.
He told the Independent that people should take with them camping gear with a good sleeping bag and a roll mattress to keep them off the floor. He added: “Phone signal can be very patchy. You obviously try not to let it happen [getting lost] in the first place, but if you do get lost then go back to the last known location, try not to panic and try to call out for help, and then try to figure out where you are.”
13:17Tim Hanlon
‘Atrocious’ weather condition on Sunday
A resident who lives nearby to the police cordon in north Wales has said that the weather conditions on Sunday were “atrocious”.
Emyr Owen told the BBC: “I was woken about 5am by the sound of the helicopter above, so I got up to look through the window. “The policeman told us all he’d had the orders to close the road – you can’t go through there towards Beddgelert. It was atrocious weather on Sunday.
I don’t know what happened to four young men in the car, hopefully nothing bad.”
(Daily Post Wales)13:03Tim Hanlon
The four missing teens pictured
Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris have all gone missing from an area near Porthmadog in North Wales. The four friends were last seen on Sunday morning when they were due to return home aid the mum of one of the missing teens’ girlfriend.
(North Wales Police)
Lisa Corfield, whose daughter Maddi is Wilf’s girlfriend, told the Shropshire Star[11]: “They all went to North Wales camping on Saturday night and they were due home on Sunday morning but they never returned.
“Everybody is sick with worry and have not heard anything from them, which is very unusual for them. They have been trying their phones which must be either off or with no battery.
“If anyone knows the tiniest thing, they should contact police, any information at all please pass it on to North Wales Police, we will all be really grateful.”
12:52Tim Hanlon
Ambulances sent out this morning to reports of an incident
The Welsh Ambulance Service said it was called out this morning following reports of an incident near the A4085 between Nantmor and Tan-Lan.
It stated told North Wales Live: “We were called today (November 21), at approximately 10.08am, to reports of an incident near the A4085 between Nantmor and Tan-Lan. “We sent an operations manager, two emergency ambulances and two Cymru High Acuity Response Units to the scene where we were supported by the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service in two Wales Air Ambulance charity helicopters.”
12:45Tim Hanlon
Air ambulance ‘landed a few miles from road cordon’
An air ambulance is believed to have landed a few miles from a police cordon that has been set up in a village near Porthmadog. Police say they are at the scene currently and they are keeping the families of all of the four teenagers who’ve been reported missing informed of developments.
According to the BBC, the air ambulance landed only a few miles from the cordon that has been put in place between Garreg and Port Aberglaslyn.
12:26Tim Hanlon
Police cordon is in place near village of Garreg
A police cordon has been set up near the village of Garreg. Following the police announcing that the silver Ford Fiesta had been found, the cordon has now been set up on the A4085, about three miles from Penrhyndeudraeth, near Porthmadog. The air ambulance is believed to have landed a few miles from the cordon.
The road has been closed between Garreg and Port Aberglaslyn.
12:18KEY EVENT
Car found after tip off from the public
North Wales Police say that the car was found following a tip off from the public. “Police officers and colleagues from other emergency services are currently at the location and the families of those involved have been kept updated,” say the police in a statement. The silver Ford Fiesta has been located with the four teens going missing on Sunday morning.
12:04KEY EVENT
Missing car found
The car belonging to the four missing teens has now been found. A silver Ford Fiesta which the group from Shrewsbury were travelling has been located, police have said.
(David Powell)11:56Tim Hanlon
Wet, windy and cloudy conditions for search teams in Snowdonia
The Met Office forcecast for Snowdonia shows that conditions are cloudy with wind and showers for search teams looking for the four teens.But the conditions are expected to improve this afternoon with outbreaks of sunshine.The mountain weather forecast states: “Cloudy conditions and strong northerly winds will result in significant wind chill, particularly on higher and more exposed routes. Sunny spells and easing winds will see conditions improve, but be prepared for cold temperatures at height.”The general outlook from the Met Office for north Wales states: “Rather cloudy for many at first with isolated light showers.
Turning generally dry and bright with sunny periods, albeit these turning increasingly hazy later. Still breezy but winds easing later. Maximum temperature 11 ?C.11:44Tim Hanlon
Coastguard helicopter confirms ‘no sighting’
A coastguard helicopter carried out a search of the Porthmadog area in the early hours of the morning but were unable to locate the four missing teens.
A statement from the coastguard said a team responded to a request for assistance from North Wales Police with the search carried out just before 3am this morning. It stated: “The Coastguard helicopter from Caernarfon was sent and completed an extensive search of an area, before returning to base with nothing found.”
11:24Tim Hanlon
Teens ‘were due home on Sunday morning but they never returned’
The mum of one of the missing teens’ girlfriend said that they should have returned home on Sunday morning. Lisa Corfield, whose daughter Maddi is Wilf’s girlfriend, told the Shropshire Star[13]: “They all went to North Wales camping on Saturday night and they were due home on Sunday morning but they never returned.
“Everybody is sick with worry and have not heard anything from them, which is very unusual for them. They have been trying their phones which must be either off or with no battery. “If anyone knows the tiniest thing, they should contact police, any information at all please pass it on to North Wales Police, we will all be really grateful.”
11:16Tim Hanlon
Police helicopter circling area near Porthmadog
A police helicopter can be seen currently hovering over the Tremadog area, near Porthmadog in north Wales.
It appears to be looking around the Cnicht mountain which is several miles from Porthmadog and is part of the Moelwynion mountain range. This morning a coastguard helicopter from from Caernarfon searched the area around the Glaslyn Nature Reserve at 4.30am before returning to its base without making any sightings of the missing four teens.
11:00Tim Hanlon
Mum of teen heading to join search in north Wales
A mum of one of the missing teenagers says she’s on her way to north Wales to join the search. Crystal Owen, the mum of 17-year-old A level student Harvey Owen from Shrewsbury, is heading to the area where the group are believed to be uin Gwynedd,
She also said she wants to follow up a lead that she says was tweeted to them earlier. She, reported the BBC, said: “A person has reported seeing someone dragging a tent from high level ground to a car parked on a hill at about 15:35 GMT on Sunday afternoon.” The witness believes the person was in the Felinheli area, which is around 25 miles away from Porthmadog.
10:53Tim Hanlon
‘If I’d have known … I wouldn’t have let him due to the winter weather conditions,’ says mum
The mum of one of the missing teens has said she wouldn’t have let him go camping “due to the winter weather conditions”.
Harvey Owen, 17, is one of the three missing and he is believed to be a student at Shrewsbury College doing A-levels. His mum Crystal said she believes the last time the group used their phones was about midday on Sunday from Porthmadog, and said her son had not logged onto his WhatsApp which was unusual. “I am frantically worried, we haven’t slept a wink, we are desperate to chase any lead we can,” she said, reported the BBC. “If I’d have known [where he was going] I wouldn’t have let him due to the winter weather conditions.
They are all sensitive, intelligent lads and we are just hoping they parked up, got lost and are OK.”
10:28Tim Hanlon
Timeline – What we know so far
Here is a timeline of the four teens as the seach continues. Sunday, November 19 – teens head off on their trip in the morning. They left in a Silver Ford Fiesta, registration HY14GVO, towards the Harlech and Porthmadog areas of Gwynedd.
Monday afternoon – Mountain rescue teams are called by police to search car parks for the boys. They are unable to locate them. The teams are understood to still be searching.
Monday, 11pm – Police release a statement on the boys are missing and appeal for information. More than 7,000 people have since shared their post on Facebook, and it has been seen by over 80,000 people on X. Monday, around midnight – Harvey’s mother says she is “frantic with worry”.
Hundreds respond with messages of support.
4.30am today – A coastguard helicopter takes to the skies from Caernarfon, searching the Glaslyn Nature Reserve.
It does not find them.
9.30am – The mum of a girlfriend of one of the missing teens, Lisa Corfield, told MailOnline: “They are not experienced campers.
They have never been there before. [They] were just going for the night so have a tent and sleeping bags but only the basics.”
References
- ^ have found their bodies inside a crashed car. (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ a silver Ford Fiesta which appears to have left the road (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ she did not know the boys were going camping (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ “one in a million”. (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Click here (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Click here (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Click here (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Click here (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Click here (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Read here to find out everything we know so far (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Shropshire Star (www.shropshirestar.com)
- ^ here (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Shropshire Star (www.shropshirestar.com)