At 12:15pm on Saturday, Surrey Police were called to investigate a dead body spotted along the River Thames. The body was discovered by the Weir Lock in Walton-on-Thames. Multiple ambulances, as well as fire trucks and police cars lined Waterside Drive by the popular, albeit currently inoperative, Xcel Sports Centre. Surrey Search and Rescue were also on the scene.
On hearing the news, residents started to congregate in the area, but were soon turned away by the emergency services. Police urged residents to avoid the area via their Facebook page as an investigation was underway. The body of the man was recovered from the river and subsequently identified, although his name has not yet been released to the general public. Police have informed his next of kin. An ongoing investigation continues into the circumstances of his death.
This startling discovery came just two days after the body of another man was found in the River Mole near Ray Road in West Molesey. The body is yet to be identified and Surrey Police are appealing to the public for information. The man is thought to be between 50-70 years of age, white, slim-built, and with short grey hair and blue eyes. Surrey Police have further said he is clean-shaven and that he has a noticeable mole on his back. He was found wearing two white vests, grey tracksuit trousers with jeans over them, and formal black shoes.
Community social media pages were ridden with shock, as well as sympathy for the families of the victims. One resident noted, ‘The world is such a hard and sad place to live in at the moment.’
If you have any information that would help identify the body of the man found in West Molesey, Surrey Police request you get in touch via their online form at http://orlo.uk/VLkbe quoting incident reference number PR/P21039809.
