Snowdonia search: Bodies of missing boys found in 'partially submerged' car on its roof

The bodies of the missing teenagers who were heading for a camping trip in Snowdonia, Wales, have been recovered from their car - the car was found partially submerged in water and on its roof

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Harry ThompsonNews Reporter

Ethan BlackshawSenior News Reporter

16:30, 21 NOV 2023
Updated17:49, 21 NOV 2023

A police road block at Garreg, Llanfrothen on the approach to Aberglaslyn and Nantmor in Eryri (Image: David Powell) — The bodies of the missing teenagers in Snowdonia have been recovered from their car (Image: David Powell)

The bodies of four missing teenagers who disappeared in Snowdonia have been recovered from their car.

Their vehicle, a silver Ford Fiesta, was found by police earlier today near Garreg, Gwynedd, partially submerged in water and on its roof. Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris had been missing since Sunday (November 19) after they failed to return home from an overnight trip.

The four are thought to have been from Shrewsbury and had headed off for a camping trip to the Eryri National Park area, also known as Snowdonia. They are understood to have been students at Shrewsbury College.

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They had been missing since Monday — Hugo Morris (Image: North Wales Police)

Supt Owain Llewelyn, of North Wales Police, said: “At present, this appears to have been a tragic accident, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the four young men at this very difficult time.

“This has been an extensive search involving a number of different agencies and volunteers, and this is sadly not the outcome that any of us would have wanted.

Their families had issued desparate pleas — Wilf Henderson (Image: North Wales Police)

“We would ask that the family be afforded the appropriate privacy and respect.” Police added that investigations are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances around the tragic incident. The force do not yet know why their car left the road, but confirmed it was found partially submerged in water and on its roof.

The search incorporated a coastguard helicopter, responding to a request for assistance from North Wales Police. It was part of a search in the Porthmadog area shortly before 3:00am this morning (November 21).

Police previously announced the discovery of the car — Harvey Owen (Image: North Wales Police)

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said earlier today: “We were called on Tuesday at approximately 10.08am to reports of an incident near the A4085 between Nantmor and Tan-Lan.

“We sent an operations manager, two emergency ambulances and two Cymru high acuity response units to the scene where we were supported by the emergency medical retrieval and transfer service in two Wales Air Ambulance charity helicopters.”

Crystal Owen, the mother of Harvey, revealed earlier that she did not know the boys were going on a camping trip. She thought they were going to stay at a friend's grandfather's house.

She told the BBC: “I am frantically worried, we haven’t slept a wink, we are desperate to chase any lead we can. If I’d have known I wouldn’t have let him due to the winter weather conditions. They are all sensitive, intelligent lads and we are just hoping they parked up, got lost and are OK.”

The four bodies were recovered from a crashed car (Image: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)

A spokesman for Shrewsbury Colleges Group said earlier: “The college’s immediate thoughts are with the family and friends of the teenagers missing in North Wales.

“We can confirm that all four of the teenagers are students at Shrewsbury Colleges Group and are studying A-levels with the college. This is a very worrying time, and we all want them to be found safe and well.”