Family pays tribute to missing man who was found dead

The family of a man who was reported missing and later found dead under unexplained circumstances say their "hearts have been shattered and lives have been changed forever".

Gloucestershire Police discovered the body of Andy Reed, 62, in a ditch by the side of Old Gloucester Road in Staverton, near Cheltenham, at about 13:20 BST on 3 May. He had been reported missing on 28 April.

An investigation has been launched into his death after the post-mortem examination revealed a number of unexplained injuries.

In a statement, Reed's family said: "His love will stay with us for the rest of our lives and we will miss him every second of every day."

Reed's family described him as a "much-loved husband and devoted dad".

"Andy wasn't just a husband, but a best friend. We made many years of happy memories and he made my life complete, I can't imagine life without him.

"Andy was an amazing, kind and gentle man with all of the time in the world for his family. He would help anyone with anything he could," they said.

They added that Reed enjoyed slow days at home, gardening, long dog walks and spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren.

"He provided us with comfort, guidance and was a role model for us all.

"He celebrated all of our wins and stood beside us through our hardest days without hesitation," they said.

Gloucestershire Police appealed for anybody with information regarding Reed's disappearance and death to contact them.

He was about 6ft tall, of slim build, with stubble facial hair and short dark brown hair which was thinning on top.

He was last seen in the Staverton area at about 22:00 on 25 April carrying a black rucksack and wearing a blue body warmer over a khaki green jumper and brown cords, police said.

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