Police find body in search for diplomat who went missing three months ago

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Police searching for a diplomat who went missing nearly four months ago have found a body.

Richard Morris, 52, set off jogging from his home in Bentley, near Farnham, Hampshire, at 10.30am on 6 May.

The former ambassador to Nepal was last seen running in Islington Road in nearby Alton.

After weeks of searching and appeals for information, officers have announced the discovery of a body in Alice Holt Forest, part of the South Downs national park near Farnham.

The death is not being treated as suspicious, police said.

Specialist police officers combed through the forest in the days after Mr Morris’s disappearance, and appealed to drivers for dashcam footage.

Hampshire Constabulary said: “Officers investigating the disappearance of Richard Morris from Bentley have today found a body in Alice Holt Forest.

“Formal identification has not yet taken place, but the 52-year-old’s family have been notified. They are being supported by specialist officers.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious, and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

Mr Morris, who was the ambassador to Nepal between 2015 and November last year, accompanied the Duke of Sussex during his tour of the country in 2016.

Before that he was head of the Pacific department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and held senior diplomatic posts, including in Australia and Mexico.

Reporting by PA