THE father of a Reydon teenager who was found dead after disappearing on a night out with friends has spoken of his family's pain as they face up to his first birthday since he died.
THE father of a Reydon teenager who was found dead after disappearing on a night out with friends has spoken of his family's pain as they face up to his first birthday since he died.
Michael Hannant said he and his family were finding the thought of what would have been son Daniel's 20th birthday on December 14 very difficult.
And their grief has been compounded by the theft of a plaque from a memorial bench which is in a local churchyard close to Daniel's grave.
The teenager had been out with friends in Southwold on February 28 and it is thought he could have been walking back to the family's home in Windsor Road, Reydon, when he went missing.
His worried parents raised the alarm early the next morning and searches were carried out by police and members of the public.
Sadly, Daniel's body was found by one of his friends in a ditch behind some allotments in Blyth Road, Southwold, on March 3.
As well as his father, a painter and decorator, Daniel also leaves his mother Patricia, 50, and brothers, Joseph, 18 and 14-year-old Mark.
The family have appealed for anyone who knew what had happened to Daniel on the night he disappeared to come forward.
Following an earlier plea a witness came forward who spoke of seeing the former John Leman High School pupil walking up Station Road after leaving the Royal British Legion Club at around 11.30pm on the night he went missing with people walking both ahead of and behind him.
Mr Hannant urged those people to come forward as they could be vital witnesses to what happened to Daniel on his final journey.
Anyone with information about is asked to call Beccles Police on 01986 835300.
As reported earlier in The Journal the family have been dealt a further blow with the disappearance of the plaque from St Margaret's Church graveyard in Reydon, sometime between November 2 and 3.
Mr Hannant said he had visited the grave one day and the plaque was in place but when his wife went there the following day it was missing.
He said: 'It is very upsetting and we cannot understand why anyone would want to do such a thing.
'It was not broken off but all four screws had been removed.'
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here