UPDATE: |Body found in woodland in search for missing 19-year-old Luke Fingleton News

Officers discovered the body of a man, believed to be Luke, in Rawtenstall on Saturday (April 5)

A body has been found in woodland in the search for missing Luke Fingleton. The 19-year-old, from Bacup, was last seen on March 27, with a huge search launched to find him.

Luke, who police said had links to the Cheetham Hill area of north Manchester, as well as Bacup and Haslingden in Rossendale, had last been seen on Thorn Bank, in Bacup, at around 9.30am.

CCTV images were also issued of Luke in a McDonald’s restaurant later on the same day of his disappearance.

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In an update on Sunday (April 6), the force said that a body was found in woodland off Haslingden Road in Rawtenstall on Saturday. Formal identification is yet to take place, but police believe it to be that of Luke.

The death is not being treated as suspicious, with a file to be prepared for the coroner.

A statement shared by Lancashire Police reads: “We have an extremely sad update to bring you about our search for missing Luke Fingleton who was reported missing from his home in Bacup by family last Sunday.

“Numerous enquiries have been ongoing to find Luke since then, however yesterday afternoon the body of a man was discovered deceased in woodland off Haslingden Road in Rawtenstall. While formal identification has not yet taken place, we believe it to be Luke.“The tragic news has been delivered to Luke’s next of kin and our thoughts are with them at this devastating time. This is not the outcome anybody wanted. Luke’s death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be passed to HM Coroner in due course.“We would just like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who shared our appeals and, again, pass on our deepest condolences to Luke’s family.”

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