Joshua Kershaw, 21, was last seen in the tourist town of Pattaya on January 12 and was due to fly home to the UK on January 19
Joshua has been reported missing in Thailand(Image: facebook)
The mother of a young man who had been missing in Thailand for nine days has shared a devastating update, confirming that his body has been discovered.
Joshua Kershaw, from Grimsby, was last spotted in the tourist resort of Pattaya on January 12. The 21 year old was scheduled to catch a flight home from Bangkok on January 19 at 8.30pm local time. However, it was confirmed that he did not board his return flight, prompting a search operation with UK authorities designating him as a high-risk missing person.
In an effort to assist with the search, the family launched an appeal to locate Joshua, and a GoFundMe campaign was also established. But this morning (Wednesday, January 21) his mum Jenny, from Wakefield, shared a heart breaking update.
A body has been found in the search for Joshua Kershaw(Image: facebook)
She posted on Facebook: “As much as my heart is breaking right now. We have now located Josh. But unfortunately he was not alive. We are now trying to get his body back to the UK.”
Numerous people have responded, conveying their sorrow at the tragic news. “So sorry Jen, thinking of you all right now. Been thinking of you all week, was praying he was safe. So sad, RIP Josh,” wrote one person. For the biggest stories in Wales first, sign up to our daily newsletter here
Another said: “Absolutely heart breaking Jen. Thinking of you, your beautiful girls and family! Sending you all so much love.”
Whilst a further comment read: “Absolutely devasted for you all what a gorgeous boy he was inside and out. You’ve got this Jenny. you’ve got all of us. Love you so much xxxx.”
Joshua’s family had previously revealed that concerns were raised when Joshua didn’t get in touch with them following his arrival in Thailand. He had been travelling on his own, with his family launching an appeal to assist in locating him.
A statement on a GoFundMe page from Joshua’s family during the search for him stated: “Our family is living through an unimaginable nightmare. My beloved nephew Joshua Kershaw (sadler), just 21 years old, is missing in Pattaya, Thailand, and we are desperately asking for help.
“Joshua has been missing since 12th January 2026. The last contact was after he arrived at his hotel, when he FaceTimed his mum and said he was going out to get some food. Since then , his phone has been switched off and no contact has been made with anyone. Joshua always kept his mum up to date with his whereabouts and checked in with her daily”.
“Joshua was due to fly home to the UK on 19th January 2026 at 8:30pm (Thai time), landing at London Heathrow on 20th January at 6:25am. He did not board this flight, which has now been confirmed. Joshua has officially been classified as a high-risk missing person by UK authorities.
“We do not know the name or location of the hotel he stayed in, we are trying to find this information out and so are the police and despite travelling to London, contacting embassies, speaking to police, and exhausting every option available to us from the UK, we still have no answers. We are completely heartbroken, terrified, and desperate to find him.”
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