THE BODY of a man has been found by police in Epping Forest, in a pond in the woodland.

The body has not yet been identified, but specialist search teams from Essex police looking for Richard Okorogheye had been searching the forest for five days.

His family have been made aware of the news and are receiving support.

Richard is a 19-year-old student, who was last seen on March 22 at around 8pm. He did not take money or medication when he left his family home in Ladbroke Grove, west London.

The teenager told his mother that he was going to see a friend.

He was reported missing on March 24.

There had been a confirmed sighting of the teenager on March 22. Richard had been seen boarding the 23 bus southbound in Ladbroke Grove at around 8.44pm.

It was widely reported that he was wearing all black, and carried a black satchel bag with a white ‘Adidas’ logo, worn across his lower back.

According to police, Richard caught a taxi to a residential road in Loughton in Essex. CCTV footage shows him walking alone on Smarts Lane, Loughton and heading in the direction of Epping Forest after midnight on March 23.

He has sickle cell disease and is pursuing a degree in business and IT at Oxford Brookes University.

Richard’s mother, Evidence Joel has suggested that police did not take her son’s disappearance seriously at first.

Speaking to Sky News, she described an encounter with the police force.

“I told a police officer that my son was missing, please help me find him, and she said ‘if you can’t find your son, how do you expect police officers to find your son for you?'” the mother explained.

“I was expecting assurance. My son was missing and it broke my heart.”