THE missing 21-year-old son of a Blackburn College vice-principal has been found dead on a riverbank.

The body of Nicholas Bloy, whose father is Duncan Bloy, was discovered on the bank of the River Severn near Berkeley, Gloucestershire. He had drowned.

A university student in Birmingham, Nicholas, who lived in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, was formally identified using dental records. Other clues to his identity were a pebble engraved with a heart in his pocket and a silver stud in his right eyebrow.

Gloucester coroner David Gibbons, opening the inquest, heard how Nicholas' car was found abandoned at a service station on the M4 near the Severn Bridge on August 27, a week after he went missing from his home.

The disappearance had sparked a huge search by South Wales Police who appealed for help after they received two anonymous letters written on a computer which suggested Nicholas might have come to some harm.

The search was called off when his body was identified, and Mr Bloy senior travelled to Wales.

Pathologist Dr Stephen Leadbetter confirmed Nicholas had drowned, and the hearing was adjourned until November 5 for South Wales police to continue their inquiries.

Blackburn College principal Sheena Ewing said Mr Bloy had worked at the Feilden Street site since 1997 and was currently in Wales.

She said: "It has been absolutely horrific. The staff here know about it and we are all obviously upset.

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