Body is pulled from river in search for missing 15-year-old after police arrested man, 20, for murder

By OLIVIA DAY, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 12:58, 25 June 2026 | Updated: 12:59, 25 June 2026 A body has been pulled from a Devon river in the search for a missing teenager.  Taylor Charlton, 15, was last seen on CCTV near a footpath close to Tarka Leisure Centre and the Seven Brethren car park in Barnstaple at 10.41pm on May 8.  He was last seen heading towards the River Taw, with official searches and local groups unable to find any trace of him in the six weeks since he disappeared In a major development on Thursday, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that human remains had been found in the River Taw near Sticklepath.  Officers were called to the river at about 4.20pm on Wednesday where the remains were recovered from the water.  Taylor's family have been informed of the discovery.  Formal identification has not yet taken place, with police remaining in the area on Thursday while further enquiries are made.  A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'We understand that this update will impact the local community, and we ask the public to avoid speculating and await updates from police in due course. Taylor Charlton, 15, was last seen on CCTV near a footpath close to Tarka Leisure Centre and the Seven Brethren car park, Barnstaple, at 10.41pm on May 8 The 15-year-old (pictured) was last seen headed in the direction of the River Taw Pictured is a missing poster for Devon teenager Taylor Charlton 'They are being supported by specialist officers and we ask that their privacy is respected at this time.' A 20-year-old man was arrested on June 12 on suspicion of murder. He was interviewed and released on police bail until September.  Taylor, from Barnstaple, was 14 when he went missing but has since had a birthday. In a public appeal, his mother Zoe said she was 'absolutely desperate' for him to come home. 'I love you so much and I am worried sick about you,' she added. His father Alex said: 'Taylor is a loving, loyal and special lad and we can't wait to have him home again.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.