A body has been found among the rocks on the beach to the south of Withernsea during the ongoing search for missing teenager Grace Keeling, police have confirmed.
Humberside Police said the discovery had been made on Thursday morning, January 15, in the area of Holmpton Road, with emergency services and HM Coastguard remaining at the scene as recovery efforts continue.
In a statement issued on Friday, Detective Superintendent Simon Vickers said: “At around 8.30am, a body was discovered by Humberside Police search advisers, however due to tide times and conditions, despite every effort it was not possible to carry out a safe recovery before high tide,” he said.
“The location was secured overnight using specialist equipment, and a cordon remains in place around the area.”
Emergency services and specialist teams returned to the scene on Friday, January 16, with officers continuing to work alongside HM Coastguard in an effort to recover the body.
“Today, officers and specialist teams have been working to explore every possible option in very complex circumstances to delicately recover the body,” Det Supt Vickers said.
“However, due to tide times, conditions and the location, the recovery could not be immediately carried out and has therefore been paused until it is safe to resume.
“While no formal identification has taken place at this time, we recognise that this discovery comes after 15-year-old Grace Keeling was swept into the water on Friday, 2 January 2026, and extensive searches have followed over the last 13 days to locate her,” Det Supt Vickers said.
He added that specialist officers had been in contact with Grace’s family to make them aware of the discovery and continue to support them.
“I appreciate this update will understandably cause concern to members of the public,” he said. “However, I would like to offer my reassurance that we have a dedicated team of specialists who are doing everything they can in their efforts to carry out the recovery as safely and as quickly as possible.
“We would also ask people to refrain from speculation with consideration and respect for their privacy, and to avoid the area to allow emergency services to work safely.”
Police said further updates would be provided as soon as possible.
The discovery follows a prolonged and complex search operation that began two weeks ago on the afternoon of Friday, January 2, when emergency services were called to reports of people in difficulty in the water near the Pier Towers on Withernsea’s central promenade.
After Grace was swept into the sea by a huge wave, her mother Sarah, 45, and 67-year-old Withernsea man Mark Ratcliffe entered the water in an attempt to rescue her. Both later died and were recovered on the evening of the incident.
Over the following days, extensive multi-agency searches were carried out along the coastline and at sea, involving HM Coastguard, RNLI volunteers, police, fire and ambulance services, and specialist search teams. Operations were repeatedly affected by rough seas, freezing temperatures and poor weather.
A resident of the town’s South Promenade, who did not wish to be named, said: “Knowing that she’s literally been up the road from me on the rocks that I’ve walked by hundreds of times – it’s just a very sad and tragic end to an awful situation.”
