Body of missing York student pulled from same river where Megan Roberts lost her life
Concerns growing about number of young people losing their lives in Yorkshire rivers
POLICE have confirmed that the body they pulled out of a river yesterday was that of a missing 20-year-old student.
Officers found York student Ethan Peters - who had been missing for a week - in the River Foss, the same river where the body of 20-year-old fine arts student Megan Roberts was found after she went missing after a night out in the Popworld nightclub last summer.
Cops said it is likely she fell into the river while drunk.
A major major search operation, involving divers and a helicopter, had been underway since the University of York undergraduate disappeared last Sunday.
North Yorkshire Police said on Sunday evening that Ethan's family had been informed and they were continuing to receive support from specially-trained officers.
Family and friends described Ethan as "a likeable character, very friendly, very sociable, very helpful."
He was in a "good mood" and "having a nice social night out" before he went missing, according to police.
DI Jackie Smart said: "Our thoughts are with Ethan's family and we will do everything we can to support them at this very difficult time.
"We would like to thank the members of the public and the media who have supported the appeal."
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Police said earlier that underwater search teams and local officers had been conducting extensive searches and the body was found at 1.30pm in the river behind the Castle Museum in York.
Ethan was last seen at 11.55pm in York last Sunday on CCTV, heading towards his home.
Divers from the Yorkshire and The Humber marine search unit spent several days in the Foss, while officers also carried out CCTV enquiries to determine what happened to Ethan.
A helicopter was used last Wednesday to search areas in and around the city centre.
On Saturday, police officers carried out ground searches of his usual known route home from the city centre, although it was not known if he took this route on the night he went missing.
Police said his disappearance was totally out of character and they were keeping an open mind about his disappearance.
Originally from London, he was a student at Goodricke College, part of the University of York, and in his third year studying film and television production.
Concerns have been growing in recent years about the number of deaths in the Foss and River Ouse, including those of university students.
Other deaths included shop worker Ben Chapman in the River Foss and soldier Tyler Pearson in the Ouse.
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