Handcuffed Body Of Man Detained By Police Found In Southampton River

He had been in the water since January.

The body of a handcuffed man who had been detained by police has been found in a river.

The 22-year-old, whose identity has not yet been released, was found on Sunday by a magnet fisherman in the River Itchen at Woodmill, Southampton.

A spokesman for Hampshire Police said: “We can confirm that he was handcuffed, having been detained by police in Southampton on 12 January.

“Initial enquiries suggest the body had been in the water for some time.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.

“An internal review is ongoing and a file is being prepared for the coroner.”

The BBC was told the victim was about to be searched for drugs and faced the possibility of arrest. It added that tributes left at the scene named the man as Reece.