Body found identified as missing pensioner (From York Press)

Body found identified as missing pensioner

4:31pm Thursday 14th February 2013 in News By Kate Liptrot, kate.liptrot@thepress.co.uk

POLICE have formally confirmed the body of a woman found on North Yorkshire moorland is that of pensioner Barbara Colling.

Mrs Colling, 68, from Helmsley, had been missing since January 28, sparking a huge search effort supported by hundreds of volunteers in the area around the town.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed that a body had been discovered by a member of the public on Hawnby Moor, in the North York Moors National Park, at about 10.45am yesterday.

The person who made the discovery, who was not part of a search party, alerted the force.

Last weekend, search and rescue teams from across the north-east of England helped scour the area around Helmsley and the North York Moors for the missing pensioner, who suffered from dementia and was last seen walking along the B1257 at Abbotts Hag.

Earlier this week Mrs Colling’s daughter, Lizzy Firmin, thanked those who took part in the search for their “overwhelming support”.