A FARMER, whose body was recovered from Leighton Reservoir has been named by police as Willis John Graham.
Coroner for the Western District of North Yorkshire Geoff Fell opened an inquest on Mr Graham, 24, who lived at Ilton, close to the reservoir.
His family reported him missing just after 1pm on Saturday, December 21 after last seeing him the night
before at about 10pm.
His light blue Land Rover Discovery was abandoned on the bridge across Leighton Reservoir. It had been there from as early as 6.30am on Saturday.
North Yorkshire Police, with the support of Yorkshire Water, combined mountain rescue teams from Swaledale and Wharfdale, the West Yorkshire Police Underwater Search Unit and many local members of the community, launched a major operation to search for Mr Graham.
This began on Saturday afternoon and went on late into the evening. And the team regrouped early on Sunday morning to continue the search. Mr Graham’s body was found at 11.35am.
A police spokesman said: "Our thoughts are with Mr Graham's family at this difficult time.
“We also thank all those involved in the search, especially due to the harsh conditions in the area at the time."
The death is not being treated as suspicious. Police at Ripon want information about his movements during Friday evening and Saturday morning. Call Ripon police station on 0845 6060247.
