Tens of thousands of pounds raised in memory of missing student Harvey Parker
Police searching for Harvey have recovered a body in the River Thames
Last updated 6th Jan 2022
Tens of thousands of pounds have been raised in memory of a missing student after police recovered a body in the River Thames in London.
Although no formal identification has taken place yet, police believe it is the body of York University Harvey Parker.
The 20-year-old was last seen leaving a nightclub in Charing Cross on the 17th of December.
The family of the missing student have paid tribute to Harvey, calling him "beautiful" and "glorious".
A JustGiving page set up in Harvey's name by his friends and family has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity.
A statement on the page says:
"We would like to raise funds for people like Harvey: money raised will go to young queer support groups, neurodiverse and gender-diverse young people who would benefit from emotional or mental health support, and help support talented musicians from under-represented communities.
"We want to send our thanks to everyone who can help us to support these causes, as a way to not only celebrate Harvey's life but to keep the memory of our beautiful Harvey alive."
The Metropolitan Police was alerted to reports of a body in the Thames near Embankment, central London, by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution just before midday on Tuesday.
Mr Parker was last seen on the 17th December after leaving Heaven nightclub near Charing Cross railway station in Westminster, central London at around 2.15am.
Officers from the Met's marine support unit recovered the body.
The death is being treated as unexplained and formal identification is yet to take place, but detectives searching for Mr Parker have been alerted and family liaison officers have informed his relatives.
Detective Chief Inspector Lucy O'Connor, of the Central South Command Unit, said:
"Sadly a body has been recovered from the Thames near where Harvey was last seen.
"We are providing Harvey's family with all the available information.
"We are also asking for media to please respect the family's privacy at this challenging and difficult time."
The force said that there was nothing to suggest anyone else was involved.