Body found in river is missing Lisburn man
by MARY MAGEE
POLICE have confirmed that a body found in the River
Lagan in Belfast on March 30 was that of missing Lisburn man Eric Partridge.
Mr. Partridge, from Harmony Hill, had been missing since February. He was last seen on Sunday February 14 at around 5.45pm near the Lagan Towpath.
The police say that they received a call on March 30 from a walker who had spotted a body in the River Lagan close to Gilchrist Bridge near Newforge. Search teams from the PSNI were called as well as the fire and rescue to try to locate the body.
Severe weather conditions hampered their search but the body was pulled out of the river at around 5pm at Stranmillis. Police say that dental records confirmed that it is that of the body of Mr Partridge.
Police said that they had been following the National Search Strategy guidelines since Mr Partridge had gone missing. They searched the Lagan Towpath with sniffer dogs and a private underwater search company was used to search the river on two separate occasions.
On February 28, two weeks after the last sighting, police returned to the Towpath between Lambeg bridge and Lisburn, where uniformed officers handed out leaflets_
Man's body recovered from River Lagan
POLICE
are investigating the death of a man whose body was recovered from
the River Lagan in Lisburn on Monday but say initial enquiries
suggest that there are no suspicious circumstances.
Shortly after 2pm, a man reported seeing a person in the Lagan close to Union Bridge.
A short time later a police officer recovered a man from the river close to the Civic Centre.
The Ambulance Service attempted to revive the man, however he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have identified the man, aged in his 30s, and enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of the incident.
Anyone with information about how he entered the water is asked to contact detectives at Lisburn on 0845 600 8000.
Ulster Star
09/04/2010
