Taylor Charlton’s family have been told a pair of shoes believed to belong to the missing teenager have been found near the River Taw as a major search operation continues in Barnstaple.
Detectives and specialist police teams, supported by partner agencies, have been carrying out extensive searches in the North Devon town after the 14-year-old disappeared last week.
Taylor was last seen at around 10.40pm on Friday, May 8 near Tesco in the Seven Brethren area. He was reported missing on the early evening of Saturday, May 9.
Search teams later found a pair of shoes, believed to belong to Taylor, near the River Taw between Sticklepath and Bickington on the Tarka Trail.
Sector Inspector Andy Wills said police were continuing to keep “all avenues of inquiry open”, but searches were now being concentrated around the river.
In a statement, Insp Wills said: “Today, a major search operation continued involving detectives and specialist police teams supported by partner agencies.
“I can confirm that search teams have located a pair of shoes located separately, which we believe belong to Taylor.
“These were found near to the River Taw between Sticklepath and Bickington.
“While detectives are keeping all avenues of inquiry open, a hypothesis that Taylor may have entered the water has resulted in searches being concentrated on this area as a priority.”
Police have urged members of the public to avoid the search area and warned that activity on the water could disrupt emergency services operations.
Insp Wills added: “At this time, we are asking members of the public to help us by avoiding the search area.
“In particular, any activity on the water could significantly disrupt the search and put you and members of the emergency services at risk.
“We also ask people to avoid sharing speculation on social media. We understand people want to help, but unconfirmed information can make our inquiries more challenging.
“Our searches also continue using airborne assets. Members of the public are asked not to fly drones in areas where our searches are taking place.”
He thanked the public for their continued support and urged anyone with information to contact police.
