THE body of a missing woman has been recovered from a river by police after being discovered by a search and rescue team.

Leung 'Mary' Yap was recovered from the river Severn at Ryall, near Upton on Saturday (January 6) at around midday by police after she was discovered by a crew from Severn Area Search and Rescue Association.

West Mercia Police confirmed the discovery of Mrs Yap yesterday (Thursday) and said that family had been informed.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police confirmed that the body had been identified from dental records. A post-mortem has been conducted and an inquest opened and adjourned.

We have previously reported how the 72-year-old mother-of-four went missing from Malvern on November 18 last year and was last seen on Powick river bridge, near Worcester.

Private search and rescue firm Specialist Group International (SGI) agreed to provide free aid to police and fire crews after being approached by Mrs Yap’s family.

Mrs Yap’s daughter said searchers had found her mother’s handbag in the river on the day after her disappearance.

Mary’s eldest son died a month ago from terminal cancer which left her “grief-stricken”, said daughter Jennifyr Yap in a previous article.

She told the Worcester News: “He was the eldest of four children.

“She was struggling to cope with the loss, it was too great. My brother was everything.”

Police previously said they were doing everything they could to find her as they searched in the river Teme.