THE heartbroken daughter of a missing Carlisle pensioner says police have told her the body found in the River Eden is that of her father.

The discovery over the weekend has come as a tragic conclusion to a 10-day search for 82-year-old Thomas Jardine, who was reported missing on Thursday, August 25, after he walked out of his Denton Holme flat, leaving his door unlocked.

Nor had he taken his phone, keys, or inhaler. A note left by the great grandfather in the flat suggested he suffered a panic attack, says his daughter Deborah Jardine.

Speaking after police confirmed details which have left her in no doubt that her father has been found, Deborah, 53, said: “I feel like my heart's been ripped out.

“I’ve been praying for a miracle, but I just had a feeling, deep down, that he wouldn’t be found alive. Now, my dad, the person I most want to talk, isn’t here. He was such a jolly, happy-go-lucky person.

“That’s why this is such a shock. He was there for me when my mum died. He was always laughing. Everywhere he went, he made his mark; once seen, never forgotten. Everybody says he was a character.” 

A former wagon driver with Alco Waste Management, Thomas was generally healthy and happy, though some difficult anniversaries were looming - including that of his son's death, said Deborah.

He had solid routines, and enjoyed talking to people. 

“He idolised his grandchildren," continued Deborah. "Dad was always there for us. Of course, we fell out at times, like all families, but at the end of the day he was always there for us.”

Deborah said she wanted to thank the many people who had offered her support and helped in the huge effort to find Thomas.

“I want to say thank you to each and every one of the public who have shared the messages about him on Facebook, or commented, or sent me a message of support, or gone out to help the search for him.

“I want to thank the police, the CID who were involved, and every member of the search team and the diver team. The Cumbria search and rescue team had over 90,000 shares. My dad would have loved all the fuss about him.”

Last week, Deborah spoke of the agony of not knowing what had happened to her father but she was heartened by the community effort to find him. But she spoke of how the mystery of his disappearance haunted her at nights.

She added that Thomas knew how much he meant to his family.

A spokesperson from Cumbria Police yesterday confirmed that a body had been recovered from the River Eden near to Sheepmount playing fields on Sunday afternoon. "The body has not yet been formally identified but the family of Mr Jardine has been made aware of developments,” said a spokesman.

"Cumbria Police would like to thank everyone who has assisted in the search for Mr Jardine over the past week."