Kidnapped Brit found dead in US

A British computer consultant kidnapped in the United States by his girlfriend's former lover has been found dead in a swamp, his family said today.

Paul Gale, 28, was last seen early on April 17 in a hotel in Florence, Kentucky, when he was handcuffed and taken away by a man posing as an FBI agent.

A 23-year-old man, Greg Marcinski, from Red Bank, New Jersey, has been arrested and charged with abducting 28-year-old Mr Gale and impersonating an agent, the FBI in Louisville, Kentucky, said.

A search across several states and a missing person appeal was launched by the FBI and the Florence Police Department after Mr Gale's disappearance.

His twin Peter, brother Mark and sister Rita flew to out the US earlier this week in a bid to help trace their brother.

Speaking from Mr Gale's parents' home in Erdington, Birmingham, his sister Julie said: "We've had some information through the night that they've found Paul dead.

"He was found in New Jersey in a swamp. But that's all we know because of the time difference."

Mr Gale's parents, Elsie and Jeff Gale, are "inconsolable", she added.

American investigators confirmed that Mr Gale's body had been found.

A press release issued jointly by Kentucky Police and the FBI read simply: "At 6pm on April 26 FBI agents located the body of victim Paul Gale near Brick, New Jersey.

"Investigations are continuing and no more information is available at present."

Fears had grown for the computer consultant's safety after he vanished from the Holiday Inn in Florence on April 17.

Police allege Marcinski drove from New Jersey to the hotel and, posing as an FBI man, handcuffed the Briton and drove away.

Marcinski has admitted to FBI officers that he was "very angry" after learning that his girlfriend, Darla Guidie, had been seeing Mr Gale, and said he wanted to meet him face to face.

He said he posed as "FBI Special Agent Trimble" so that he could take Mr Gale from the hotel, but insisted that he dropped him off at a hotel car park near Cincinnati airport.

Yesterday a judge ordered Marcinski to be returned to Kentucky from New Jersey, where he was being held.