A mother of a young man who went missing in Thailand for nine days has shared a heartbreaking update confirming that his body has been discovered. Joshua Kershaw, a 21-year-old from Grimsby, was last seen in Pattaya on January 12. He was scheduled to return home from Bangkok on January 19 but did not board his flight, prompting authorities to classify him as a high-risk missing person.
In efforts to locate Joshua, his family initiated a search appeal, and a GoFundMe campaign was launched. Today, his mother, Jenny from Wakefield, sadly announced on Facebook that Joshua had been found, but unfortunately, he did not survive. She expressed the challenge of bringing his body back to the UK.
Many individuals responded with messages of sorrow upon hearing the news. One person wrote, “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 heartbreaking Jen. Thinking of you, your beautiful girls, and family! Sending you all so much love.”
Jade Kershaw also shared the devastating news on the GoFundMe page dedicated to finding Joshua. She conveyed, “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.”
The funds raised through the campaign will now be directed towards repatriating Joshua and covering funeral expenses to lay him to rest at home among his family. The family expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support during this challenging time and requested continued thoughts and prayers as they cope with the tragic news.