Body is found in Stevenston

Apr 24 2009 Irvine Herald

THE body of a man missing for 10 months has been found in Stevenston – THIRTY feet from where he was last spotted.

The remains of Gregg Jackson, of West Kilbride, were recovered from an outhouse in New Street at 7.30pm on Thursday.

Police said this week they were waiting on DNA confirmation but Gregg’s parents have told friends it is their son.

Clothes still on the badly decomposed body were similar to those keen fisherman Gregg was thought to have been wearing when he was last seen.

The last known sighting of jobless Gregg was at Stevenston Cross – less than 30 feet from the outhouse.

He went missing the day before he was due to sit a trade test as he searched for work in the building industry.

He didn’t arrive for the interview in Irvine and the only thing missing from his home was a folder containing his CV.

Specialist search teams and the police dog branch were involved in a massive manhunt in the aftermath of his disappearance.

Dad Kenneth this week told pals on a fishing website to spread the word that Gregg had been found.

Friends also paid tribute to Gregg on social networking site Bebo.

One said: “Just had the phone call to confirm what we all dreaded – love from me and Barry to all your family.”

On Tuesday, a Strathclyde Police spokeswoman stressed the body was still unidentified.

She said: “A forensic examination will take place to establish the cause of death. At the moment police are treating it as unexplained.”