Body found in the sea confirmed to be 14-year-old Daniel Halliday who was swept away in River Mersey on June 30

13 July 2024, 17:27

Police have confirmed that a body found in the River Mersey is Daniel Halliday, a 14-year-old who was swept into the water on June 30.

Daniel Halliday was “jumping waves” in the water alongside his brother and friends when he was swept downstream, the Merseyside police said.

Police stood down their search the next day after scouring the area near the radar tower off Crosby Beach, Waterloo.

A body was found by the Coastguard off New Brighton on Monday night, Merseyside Police confirmed.

A statement from the force said: "We can confirm that the body of a male found in the River Mersey is that of missing 14-year-old Daniel Halliday.

"Officers received a report that the body of a boy had been found by HM Coastguard on the evening of Monday 8 July in the river at New Brighton.

"Following extensive forensic examinations by Merseyside Police, the boy has been formally identified as Daniel Halliday.

"Daniel had been reported to have been jumping waves in Crosby at 7pm on Sunday 30 June before getting into difficulty.

"Officers are supporting his family at this difficult time."

Halliday’s devastated family issued a statement after the teen went missing, hailing their “loving” son.

It said: "Our worst fear is that this tragic accident has taken our lovely boy from us.

"Daniel was jumping waves with his big brother who tried to save him but the current was too strong.

"Daniel is a loving son, brother, cousin, nephew, and grandson.

"The family are all devastated, and we hope that we will be allowed our privacy at this time. Thank you."

Tributes poured for the 14-year-old after his disappearance, with charity An Hour For Others, where Daniel spent much of the last two years, hailing him as a “unique little soul” who “always loved having a laugh.”

The Facebook post read: “Everyone at An Hour For Others are devastated at the loss of 14yr old Daniel Halliday on crosby beach.

“Daniel was a big part of our children's groups for the last 2 years and we shared so many amazing memories together in that time. Daniel was a unique little soul and always loved having a laugh with staff and kids.

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“He got involved in everything and got so much from our little community, he absolutely loved going to Wales last year and we'll always remember our special 2 days.

“We are all numb at the minute trying to make sense of what's happened.

“We are in contact with Daniels family and will be supporting them throughout, out of respect for Daniels family we ask that they have privacy at this time as they deal with what's happened.”

Following the incident, more than 1,700 people signed a petition calling for greater safety measures at Crosby Beach.

Organisers wrote: "We ask our local council and the relevant authorities to urgently address this issue and ensure proper safety measures including the presence of lifeguards at Crosby Beach and the water marina from June through September."

In response to the campaign a representative from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution: "Local authorities work in partnership with the RNLI when determining what lifeguard cover is needed where, with factors such as number of visitors, the beach profile, hazards, risks and incident history all inputting to the decision-making process."