The body of a man believed to be that of missing British musician Jonathan Pickford has been found by police, reports say.
Local media says the singer and guitarist’s body was discovered by a river close to the spot where his abandoned van and his two pet dogs were located earlier this week.
The Jersey-born expat had been missing since August 30 after he dined with friends at a restaurant inland from his home in the Costa del Sol resort of Torre del Mar.
A police search was launched along with social media appeals for information by his family and friends after it emerged he had disappeared.
There has not yet been any official confirmation from the Civil Guard, the police force said to have located the body.
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Local journalist Jesus Navarro, who broke the news of the Brit’s disappearance after it was reported on social media, confirmed on Twitter : “The body of Jonathan Pickford or Pix as he was known to friends has been found beside the river in the search area in the municipality of Almogia.
“He had disappeared a few days ago.”
An expat who launched the social media campaign for information about Jonathan’s disappearance has yet to make any formal comment either on Facebook.
Her last post simply said: “Please keep looking. Some people have suggested Pix was in trouble and was running away. That is 100 per cent not the case.
“I believe he headed for the airport to meet a friend he knew was due to arrive.
“The friend had made other arrangements to be collected but Pix may have wanted to be there too.”
The police search for Mr Pickford, whose Jersey-formed group ‘A Band Called O’ was championed by legendary radio presenter and DJ John Peel, started soon after he vanished after he left a restaurant between the inland villages of Alcaucin and La Vinuela on the night of August 29 to drive back to his home.
His white Spanish-plated Citreon Berlingo van was found in an area known as Los Moras a 40-minute drive north-west of Malaga.
His surviving pet dog was found beside the vehicle, thought to have been abandoned after a crash, near the body of the other animal.
A passing motorist had reportedly helped Jonathan, known by his nickname of Pix, after seeing he was in difficulties earlier the same evening following a first traffic accident before he left his van in a ditch by the side of the road.
The musician had been wearing jeans and a black T-shirt with a Jack Daniels logo on it when he went missing.
Several police forces were mobilised to help in the search for him, although none has yet made any official comment.
A Band Called O, featuring Jonathan on guitar and vocals, has its own Wikipedia page.
It was formed in Jersey around 1970 as ‘The Parlour Band’. Under their original name the band released a 1972 album called ‘Is a friend?’.
They changed their name to ‘A Band Called O’ after relocating from Jersey to Leicester and went on to record the first of four Peel Sessions on September 24 1974. They later went on to shorten their name simply ‘The O Band’ before disbanding at the end of 1977.
Pix Pickford had a brief solo career, releasing two singles: "Long Drop" and "Are you Rockin'", before moving to Spain to play with 'Racket'.
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