A body has been found in the search for a missing teenage girl who was swept out to sea two weeks ago alongside her mother and a hero bystander.
Grace Keeling, 15, is understood to have fallen into the water at Withernsea, on the East Yorkshire coast, on January 2 after being hit by a wave.
Her mother, 45-year-old Sarah Keeling, and bystander Mark Ratcliffe, 67, died after bravely wading into the sea in a desperate bid to save her.
While the bodies of the two adults were found shortly after the tragedy, emergency services have been searching for Grace for the past two weeks.
Humberside Police said emergency services tried to retrieve a body, which was found among the rocks on the beach on Thursday morning, but were unsuccessful due to tide times and other conditions.
Grace’s family have been informed by specialist officers, who asked people to ‘refrain from speculation’ and ‘respect their privacy’.
Emergency services have cordoned off part of Holmpton Road and remain at the scene.
Detective Superintendent Simon Vickers said yesterday’s discovery followed 13 days of ‘extensive searches’.
Sarah Keeling, 45, is pictured with her 15-year-old daughter Grace Keeling
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Hero bystander Mark Ratcliffe, 67, (pictured) lost his life after trying to save Grace from the water
‘Officers and specialist teams have been working to explore every possible option in very complex circumstances to delicately recover the body,’ he added.
‘Due to tide times, conditions and the location, the recovery could not be immediately carried out and has therefore been paused until it is safe to resume.’
East Yorkshire area coroner Lorraine Harris previously told Mrs Keeling’s inquest that her primary cause of death was drowning, contributed to by head and neck injuries.
Ms Harris said Mrs Keeling was a married woman who was born in Germany, lived in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, and worked in international sales.
The coroner said Mr Ratcliffe’s primary cause of death was drowning, with chest injuries a contributory factor.
She said Mr Ratcliffe was born in Bradford, lived in Withernsea and was a retired warehouse manager.
Each inquest opening took about two minutes at Hull Coroners’ Court and no family members were present. Ms Harris adjourned both hearings to a date to be fixed.
Humberside Police previously said officers were called to the incident at Central Promenade in Withernsea at 3.15pm on January 2.
Coastguards and Humberside Fire and Rescue staff continue the search on Saturday, January 3
Last week, the force said that – after trawling through CCTV and speaking to multiple witnesses – it is understood that Grace and a friend were on the steps near the rocks when she is ‘believed to have fallen into the water after being swept by a wave’.
Mrs Keeling and three other members of the public, including Mr Ratcliffe, immediately entered the water in an effort to save her.
Police said officers were deployed along with coastguards, ambulance and fire service resources.
Mr Ratcliffe was recovered unconscious from the water during initial searches. He was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later, the force said.
Mrs Keeling’s body was then found by the coastguard the same evening.
Two other men who also entered the water in an attempt to assist with the rescue managed to exit safely, the force said.
Mr Ratcliffe’s family paid tribute to him, saying he was a ‘true selfless hero with a heart of gold, who was so cruelly taken trying to save others’.
