Body found in search for missing firefighter who disappeared after night out

Father-of-four Daniel Lee, 41, vanished early on Monday after going for drinks with Manchester Fire and Rescue service colleagues

Firefighter Daniel Lee disappeared just before his daughter’s sixth birthday (Greater Manchester Police / SWNS)

Police searching for a fireman who went missing just days before his daughter’s sixth birthday have found a body in a river near to where he was last seen.

Father-of-four Daniel Lee, 41, vanished early on Monday after going for drinks with Manchester Fire and Rescue service colleagues.

The “respected” watch manager was last captured on CCTV walking in a park, wearing a FILA jacket and blue jeans, at around 1am.

His family say his phone was later “pinged” at 3am on the banks of the Irwell River, which runs through the centre of the city.

They raised the alarm when Daniel didn’t show up in the morning and concerns grew when he failed to show up for his daughter’s birthday on Wednesday (Aug 24).

Tragically, after a major search, police said they had found a body in the River Irwell last night (Thurs).

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: “Formal ID has not yet taken place but we do believe it to be Daniel.

“There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances. A file is being prepared for the coroner.”

Daniel, who was engaged to be married and lived in Salford, had been a firefighter for 16 years and was a watch manager at the city’s Agecroft Fire Station.

His fiancé’s cousin, Hannah Madden, 37, previously said of Daniel: “There’s no way on this earth that he would not come home for her birthday. She is absolutely his world.”

Chief Fire Officer at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue service said:

“This is a tragic end to a very difficult week, and not the outcome we had hoped for.

“Dan, who served with GMFRS for 16 years, was a popular and valued member of our GMFRS family and he will be greatly missed.”