Missing Briton found dead in Venice

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The body of Richard John Raynor, a 23-year-old from Doncaster, who had been on a romantic break with his girlfriend, was found underneath a bridge connecting the lagoon city to the mainland, the ANSA news agency and Sky TG 24 TV reported.

No one was immediately available at police headquarters in Venice to confirm the report. Earlier, police had issued a statement about the case.

Raynor went missing early on Thursday as he and his girlfriend were making their way back to their hotel after a night out in the historic centre of Venice, the statement said.

The couple had immediately headed for Venice on Wednesday afternoon after checking in at a hotel in the nearby town of Mestre.

Raynor suddenly disappeared from his girlfriend's sight in a Venice square while she was looking for a taxi that was to take them back to Mestre. She tried calling his mobile phone but found it switched off and contacted police after Raynor didn't turn up at the hotel, the statement said.

The mystery further deepened later on Thursday, when an elderly couple returned Raynor's cell phone, wallet and room key to the Mestre hotel. It was not immediately clear where the objects were found, the statement said.

William Raynor, the missing man's father, arrived in Venice to follow the search and was plastering the city with fliers showing a photo of his son and seeking information.

The father told Italy's Corriere della Sera daily that Raynor had quarrelled with his girlfriend before he disappeared.