Police searching for George, 18, missing from Portishead since 17 September, say a body was recovered from water near Newport on Sunday 27 September.

Update, 28 September 2026. Avon and Somerset Police say a body was found on Sunday 27 September in the search for George. The force was told on Sunday morning that a body had been recovered from water at a coastal location near Newport. The clothing matched what George had last been seen wearing in Portishead on 17 September (Avon and Somerset Police, 27 September).

The force says:

  • a formal identification still has to take place, as a matter of routine
  • George’s family have been told and are being supported by a specially trained officer
  • the death is not being treated as suspicious and is now a matter for the coroner

George’s family have asked for their privacy to be respected. Police thanked everyone who called in with information or shared the appeals, and Gwent Police and the RNLI for their help on Sunday.

The appeal is no longer active. Our report of 22 September follows, with the requests for footage and sightings taken out.

Our report of 22 September

Avon and Somerset Police are still searching for a missing 18-year-old in Portishead, and have asked people living near the shore to go back through their doorbell and dashcam footage from Thursday evening.

George was last seen at around 8.20pm on Thursday 17 September, in the Woodlands Road and Pier Road area of the town. The force published a renewed appeal on Saturday evening and it was still live on its website on Tuesday morning (Avon and Somerset Police, 19 September).

In the force’s own description, George:

  • is white, approximately 5ft 7ins tall, with short brown hair
  • was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black jogging bottoms and orange and grey shoes
  • may appear disorientated and confused
  • has links to Clevedon and Portishead

What police asked for

The appeal asked for CCTV, doorbell and dashcam footage from the Woodlands Road and Pier Road area, for anyone walking on the beach that night, and for one man who was in the area at the time.

Detective Chief Inspector James Wasiak said the force was “grateful to those members of the public who have been out assisting us in our search for missing George”.

He added a warning for anyone thinking of joining in: “We would urge the public not to put themselves at risk by walking across the mud, in rocky conditions or at height. We have a specialist team of qualified search experts who can reach some of the more challenging areas.”

Woodlands Road and Pier Road are in the Woodhill part of Portishead, on the side of the town that runs down to the Severn estuary shore. The mud and rock the force refers to is the foreshore below it.

This report was taken from Avon and Somerset Police’s own published statements of 19 and 27 September 2026.