A 77-year-old man has been found dead near Wigan five days after he was first reported missing in Liverpool.
Leslie Fielding, from Haydock, was last seen driving a silver Toyota RAV 4 towards East Lancashire Road, which links Liverpool to Salford, on Saturday evening (June 17) at around 7pm.
Merseyside Police said a body, which has now been confirmed to be of Leslie, was found in the Greater Manchester area this morning (June 22). A car near to the Gerard Centre in Ashton-in-Makerfield was cordoned off as officers responded to reports of a body at around 10am this morning.
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Enquiries to locate Leslie have been ongoing since Saturday, with his family urging for help in tracking him down, reports the ECHO. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a light blue/grey Adidas top, jogging bottoms and trainers.
He was described as being 6ft tall, of a medium build, with short grey hair and with a Manchester accent.
A police spokesperson said there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and a report will now be prepared for the coroner.
Now Merseyside Police has issued the following statement: “We can confirm that Leslie Fielding was, sadly, found dead in the Greater Manchester area this morning, Thursday June 22.
"Mr Fielding, 77, was last seen leaving his home in the Haydock area on the evening of Saturday June 17 and inquiries have been ongoing to locate him.
"A report will be prepared for the coroner but there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances at this time.
"Mr Fielding’s next of kin have been informed and police officers are providing them with support at this difficult time.”