The family of Lee Horton, 36, from Evesham, were informed after a body was found in Gloucester during the search for the missing man, who vanished after boarding a train

A body has been discovered in the search for a man who vanished after telling his family he was on his way home from a trip, having boarded a train that he never disembarked.

Lee Horton, 36, informed his family on March 11 that he would be returning from a journey to Bristol, but he never made it back. He was reported missing the following day, March 12.

CCTV footage showed Lee, hailing from Evesham, alighting a train at Gloucester station on the afternoon of March 11 before disappearing without a trace. Today, Gloucestershire Police confirmed that a body was found in Gloucester during the search for Lee.

While formal identification is still pending, the force has notified Lee’s family, reports the Mirror.

READ MORE: Mystery of missing man who got on train to come home but never returned

Gloucestershire Police stated: “A body was found in Gloucester yesterday (Tuesday) during the search for a 36-year-old man who had been reported missing from Evesham. While formal identification has not yet taken place, Lee Horton’s family has been informed. The circumstances of the death are not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

Lee last contacted his family on March 11, informing them that he was in Bristol and intended to take a train home. His family reportedly didn’t express concern over his trip as it was typical for Lee, who enjoyed exploring new locations.

But Lee’s subsequent actions have left the officers searching for the missing man bewildered. Although he bought a ticket back to Worcester station, Lee did not disembark there.

Upon reviewing CCTV footage, it was revealed that Lee had indeed caught a train from Bristol but unexpectedly alighted at Gloucester station in the afternoon.

On the morning of 11 March, an attempt by Lee to check into a hotel in Bristol was unsuccessful because he wished to pay with cash, and the establishment accepted only card payments. A subsequent investigation into his financial and phone records indicated no activity since noon on 11 March, around the time when Lee last got in touch with his relatives, prompting police to utilise CCTV to trace his steps.

Nearly a hundred cameras traced Lee’s movements as he journeyed from Upper Maudlin Street back to Bristol Temple Meads station. Detectives were able to verify that Lee purchased a ticket to Worcester with cash and boarded a train at approximately 2:40 pm.

Despite arriving at Worcester Shrub Hill station, officers confirmed that he never exited the train there.

Law enforcement officials scrutinised each station along the path until they finally determined that Lee had alighted at Gloucester. CCTV captured him leaving Gloucester station at 3:33 pm, with the most recent sighting showing him departing ASDA Gloucester towards Station Road at 3:46 pm.

In the wake of Lee’s disappearance, his brother Kieran Horton, at the age of 30, issued an urgent plea for Lee to make contact or for anyone with information to come forward. He expressed that the two weeks following Lee’s vanishing act had been “rollercoaster” times for the family.

Posting on Facebook, he expressed the family’s deep worries about “very concerned for Lee’s wellbeing and safety”. He mentioned that Lee going missing was “out of character”, describing him as a “friendly and loving guy” who “liked his own time and space”.

“We love him and he’s an important part of everybody’s lives,” Kieran stated. He added, “Obviously, it has been very emotional like a rollercoaster. The worst part of it is the not knowing, not knowing anything. It’s very difficult.”