THE grief-stricken father of missing Derbyshire man Ricky Hill – whose body is believed to have been found – says "cannot come to terms" with the loss of his eldest son.
But Steven Hill has thanked those who helped in the countywide search for Ricky after he went missing from the Royal Derby Hospital in September.
Derbyshire police said they received a call from a member of the public on Saturday at 3.50pm, to report the discovery of a body of a man in a wooded area near to Balmoral Close, Littleover, which is close to the hospital.
Yesterday, a spokesman for the force said formal identification of the body was yet to take place but they believed it to be that of 30-year-old Ricky.
Steven, 52, of Alfreton, said he was in shock after hearing the news.
He said: "I cannot come to terms with what has happened.
"We all really miss him. He was close to all of our family and knew so many people.
"I want to thank my family and friends and everybody who helped search for Ricky over the last three months, as well as all of the Facebook followers.
"We have had so much support and I really appreciate it."
Ricky, 30, of Somercotes, went missing from the hospital, in Uttoxeter New Road, shortly after 8.30am on September 23.
He left the hospital to go out for a cigarette and never returned.
Huge search efforts were carried out in an attempt to find Ricky.
Thousands of people helped share appeals on social media as well as a poster appeal, which was launched back in October.
In November, Ricky's friends and family trekked 13 miles up the A38 from Derby to Alfreton in a search for clues to his whereabouts. And a group of private investigators also got onboard to try to help.
However, Steven said he was in the process of lodging a complaint to Derbyshire police because he believed that the woodland area where the body was found had been searched.
He said: "I was told that the surrounding area of the hospital had been searched and covered by police."
He also said he had filed a complaint to the Royal Derby Hospital.
He added: "If Ricky was supposed to be at high-risk, why was he allowed to go out for a cigarette?"
A spokesman for Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said last night: "While we are still awaiting the outcome of a formal identification of the body by police, we would like to express our sympathy to the family of Mr Hill at what must be a very difficult time."
And a spokeswoman for Derbyshire police said: "We will be carrying out a thorough review of all aspects of the original investigation of when Mr Hill went missing."
Ricky's family said he had been admitted to the hospital after being diagnosed as suffering from depression.
They said his bank account had not been touched since his disappearance, his phone was turned off and were worried about his state of mind.
Steven said: "Ricky was a very happy person until he started to suffer from depression.
"I didn't realise how serious the illness was until I started researching it. I was shocked.
"It's one of those illnesses that can get hold of people and can soon get out of hand."
Neighbours living near to where the body was found have paid tribute to the 30-year-old.
Andy Law, 59, of Owlers Lane, close to Balmoral Close, said: "I knew nothing about the incident but I would really like to send my condolences to his family, friends and relations.
"It is such a shame that this sort of thing can happen."
Another neighbour said: "How awful and to think he was only 30.
"I want to send all my wishes to his family."
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter