A body has been found in the search for Tom Voyce, the former England rugby union international believed to have been killed after being swept away in a flood caused by Storm Darragh.
The discovery was made in the River Aln close to Abberwick Mill, near Alnwick, Northumberland, four days after the 43-year-old’s car was dragged into the water.
Northumbria Police confirmed Voyce’s family – which includes wife Anna and six-year-old son Oscar – had been notified and were being supported by specialist officers pending formal identification of the body.
The force said in a statement on Thursday: “A body has today sadly been found in the search for Tom Voyce.
“Concerns were raised for the former England rugby international on Sunday, after he had not returned home from being out with friends the previous evening.
“It is believed the 43-year-old had gone into the River Aln near Alnwick – after attempting to cross Abberwick Ford in his car.
“Extensive searches were subsequently carried out by Northumbria Police and a range of partners, including from the National Police Air Service, North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team and Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team.
“Tom’s family and friends were also involved in the search.
“These were carried out in very challenging conditions, not least due to the river flow and the level being significantly heightened after the exceptionally heavy rain experienced over the weekend.
“Specialist officers from Northumbria Police’s Marine Unit made the sad find in the river near Abberwick Mill earlier today. Formal identification is yet to take place but Tom’s next of kin have been notified and are currently being supported by specialist officers.”
Ch Supt Helena Barron, of Northumbria Police, said: “This is an extremely sad development and our thoughts very much continue to be with Tom’s loved ones. I would like to thank all of our officers, partners and volunteers for their assistance throughout the searches which have been conducted in very challenging circumstances.
“We would continue to ask that people respect the family’s privacy at this time.”
The force added: “Officers do not believe there to be any third-party involvement and a report will be prepared for the coroner.”
The discovery came two days after police announced Voyce was believed to have been “swept away” and killed in the act of trying to escape a vehicle which was later recovered.
Sir Ian McGeechan led the tributes to the former England wing. McGeechan coached Voyce at Wasps between 2005 and 2009, a period that featured a Heineken Cup in 2007 and a Premiership title the following year.
“Tom was a great person to know, never mind coach,” McGeechan told Telegraph Sport. “He was a quiet, but really committed player who helped to make the Wasps team he was in such a successful one.
“He would get on with training without fuss and was a good reader of the game – some of his best tries were scored after coming off his wing. I remember we’d talk about the game and he’d always be up for trying things.
“He had a good relationship with Paul Sackey on the other wing – they challenged each other, which was brilliant from a coaching perspective because we’d look to involve them and had named moves for bringing those two in the line at different places. He liked that challenge of turning up late on somebody’s shoulder. I remember one of the moves was called ‘Prada’ because both Paul and Tom enjoyed Knightsbridge.
“Voycey didn’t make many mistakes either. He would cover kicks and make good decisions in important areas of the pitch. He was certainly a player who brought confidence to those around him and I thoroughly enjoyed my time coaching him.”
Earlier this week, before this latest update, former Wasps team-mate Andy Goode was among those to post messages of respect to Voyce, who won nine England caps between 2001 and 2006.
So sad to hear of the suspected loss of my old team mate Tom Voyce, he was a great bloke who I spent many fun times with. RIP mate you’ll be missed Voycey pic.twitter.com/QYl4lVPvIO
— Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) December 10, 2024
Lawrence Dallaglio echoed those sentiments. “It’s the most horrific news and all I would say at this juncture is that please let us all respect Tom’s family and their suffering right now and keep them in all our thoughts,” he posted on Wednesday.
Anna, Voyce’s wife, has previously thanked police, friends and the local community for their help and support.
Responding to Tuesday’s news, the official X account of the England team posted: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Tom Voyce at this extremely challenging time.”
Voyce won nine caps for his country, making his debut during their 2001 tour of the United States. He scored twice on his Twickenham bow against Samoa in 2005 and was an ever-present during the following year’s Six Nations Championship.
Having started his club career with Bath, Voyce joined Wasps in 2003 and was a key figure during their golden era under Warren Gatland and McGeechan, helping them to a famous Premiership and Heineken Cup double in 2004, further league titles in 2005 and 2008 and another European crown in 2007.
He left for Gloucester in 2009, making a further 38 Premiership appearances before joining London Welsh for the 2012-13 season, after which he announced his retirement from rugby and began a career in banking.
The Wasps Legends Charitable Foundation said it was “in shock to hear the terrible news about Tom”, adding: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tom’s family at this very difficult time.”
Bath wrote: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Tom Voyce at this incredibly distressing time.”
Premiership Rugby posted: “Everyone at Premiership Rugby is devastated by the news regarding Tom Voyce. We send our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.”
Voyce relocated from London to Northumbria in 2020 after starting a family, according to an interview with his wife Anna published the following year on the website of the estate agent Paton & Co.
In it, she explained how she had previously worked in television production for Sky Sports before moving into sports marketing, including heading up the commercial operations team for the British and Irish Lions, with whom she toured on three occasions.
She said that the couple made the decision during the pandemic to move to her native Northumberland for the lifestyle and no longer needing to work in London as much, and she also spoke about the couple’s young son, Oscar, who she said her husband took to play rugby on Sunday mornings.
In playing for Gloucester and England, Truro-born Voyce followed in the footsteps of his great uncle, Anthony Thomas Voyce, who made 27 appearances for his country during the 1920s.
He won three Grand Slams and was part of the British Isles team who toured South Africa in 1924. He went on to serve as president of the Rugby Football Union from 1960-61 and held the same role at Gloucester between 1970-78.
He died the year before his great nephew was born.
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