The mother of a young man who had been missing in Thailand for nine days shared a devastating update confirming that his body has been discovered. Joshua Kershaw, a 21-year-old from Grimsby, was last seen in the popular tourist destination of Pattaya on January 12. He was scheduled to take a flight back home from Bangkok on January 19 at 8:30 pm local time, but he did not board the flight, prompting a search operation with UK authorities listing him as a high-risk missing individual.
In an effort to locate Joshua, his family initiated a search appeal, and a GoFundMe campaign was also launched. However, on Wednesday, his mother Jenny from Wakefield, sadly confirmed the tragic news on Facebook, stating, “As much as my heart is breaking right now, we have now located Josh. But unfortunately, he was not alive. We are now trying to get his body back to the UK.”
Numerous individuals responded to the news with messages of sorrow and support. One person expressed, “So sorry Jen, thinking of you all right now. Been thinking of you all week, was praying he was safe. So sad, RIP Josh.” Another commented, “Absolutely heart-breaking Jen. Thinking of you, your beautiful girls, and family! Sending you all so much love.”
Jade Kershaw also shared the heartbreaking update on the GoFundMe page created to aid in the search for Joshua. She mentioned, “Our beloved nephew, Joshua, who had been missing in Thailand, has sadly been found deceased in his hotel. This is not the outcome we were praying for, and our family is completely devastated by this loss.”
All funds raised from the campaign will now be directed towards bringing Joshua back home and covering funeral expenses so he can be laid to rest surrounded by his family and loved ones. The family expressed gratitude to everyone who supported them during this difficult time and requested continued thoughts and prayers as they mourn and come to terms with the tragic news.