THE parents of a missing man have been told a body found in a field is probably their son.

Coroners have yet to formally identify the body which was found by a farmer in a field in Myerscough near the A6 on July 18.

It had been there for some weeks.

John and Hilda Fewery, from Gloucester Avenue, Blackpool, were told by police that a passport belonging to their only son, John, was found with the body.

John, aged 49, was in a very distressed state when he wandered off from his house in Holme Slack, Preston, on June 11.

He had suffered a nervous breakdown some years ago and was treated at Royal Preston Hospital's Avondale unit for people with mental health problems.

His last words to his mum and dad came in a heartbreaking telephone message before he went missing.

He said he loved them both very much but he was going to "lie down in a field and die."

Police, dogs, helicopter crews and the Bowland Pennine Rescue Team carried out searches in the area.

Lancaster coroners are using various methods to confirm the man's identity, such as dental records and fingerprints.

The cause of death is not yet known.

A post mortem examination carried out on Tuesday (July 22) proved inconclusive.

Dad John said: "It's absolutely terrible news. My wife and I are very depressed about the whole thing."

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