The friends and family of a North Belfast man who was found dead after being reported missing have raised concerns regarding the police response.
Adrian Boyd, 29, of Glenville Mews, was last seen before his passing on Saturday, November 19, when he had been acting erratically in the area.
Neighbours saw Adrian "crawling" towards the Glen Park area in shorts, a t-shirt and no shoes at around 3pm and he was never seen alive again.
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His worried friends and family contacted the police on Monday, November 21, saying that Adrian was missing and had not been seen in two days before setting out to search the area for him themselves.
Family friend Alice Hudson, who contacted the police about the missing person appeal, has said that she was disappointed with the police response to it, saying that she felt that not enough was done in order to find Adrian and preserve his dignity.
She said: "When I first called the police Adrian had been missing for two days already and we hoped that they would respond to our concerns immediately.
"However on Monday evening when we were searching the area ourselves looking for him with torches, we did not see a single officer.
"It took until Tuesday before an appeal was issued on social media, which contained the wrong details of what he had last been wearing and despite us asking for this to be corrected it never was.
"Throughout this time officers had told us that Adrian was "probably at a party somewhere in Newtownabbey" and we felt like they were not taking our worries seriously enough because we knew that is not somewhere he would have been. He spent all of his free time in East Belfast where he grew up and only lived in Newtownabbey.
"From Monday until Adrian's body was found in a river on Wednesday, we searched the area constantly with little to no help and it was only when I contacted a community search and rescue team myself that they were able to use a helicotper to help us try and find him.
"We were told by officers that they had spoken to Adrians neighbours after he was reported missing, but they have told us that this was never the case.
"Throughout it all we felt like they just did not care about finding Adrian and we believe that if they acted quicker, his body would have been found sooner rather than five days after he was last seen."
Alice also said that Adrian's family were very disappointed in how his body was identified, with his aunty being asked to come to the scene where he was found to do this, rather than somewhere more private.
They also claim that when the police were initially called about an appeal for Adrian they were told that one could not be made until a social media training officer was available and refused requests to make the appeal available on their East Belfast pages, as that is where Adrian would have spent most of his time.
They also feel that concerns should have been raised regarding his whereabouts when a dog warden was called to attend to his dogs, with one being outside of his apartment and another inside. He was well known in his area for always being with his dogs and would not leave them unattended.
Alice said: "Adrian's aunty has been left completely traumatised after identifying his body. She was asked to come to the spot in the Glen where he was found to do this, rather than a mortuary or somewhere with more privacy and dignity.
"It feels like there was a lack of respect to him and it just added to the deep frustration that we already had.
"We still do not know how he died, other than drowning, and we feel there has been a huge lack of communication with officers and us regarding his death. We just feel so let down about it all and it is breaking our hearts thinking about how long he was outside for and how his dignity could have been preserved if the police did more when we first rang them."
Alice said that Adrian will be deeply missed by his friends and family who are all deeply saddened following his passing.
The 29-year-old's mum had passed away last year and his passing is another blow to the grieving family.
Alice said: "I have known Adrian all my life and he had a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone. His entire family, who have just lost their mother, are completely heartbroken that he is gone.
"His two dogs were the centre of his life and they are both struggling without him being here.
"We just hope that in the future more attention will be given to vulnerable missing people so that no other family has to go through the pain that Adrian's have."
Inspector Patmore of the PSNI said: “We understand that this is a very difficult time for the family and there are many unanswered questions.
“When a report is made that someone is missing, we use every available investigative resource to pursue lines of enquiry. This time was no different. Our local policing teams, assisted by volunteers from a community search and rescue team were out in the community searching at a range of locations. We also utilised our social media channels to encourage members of the public to report any sightings of the missing person.
“Sadly, the outcome was not one anyone wanted. A body was found and I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to the family and wider circle of friends at this difficult time."
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