BBC1 documentary Reported Missing had viewers in floods of tears as the brother of Darren Bennett found his dead body.
Darren, 28, died in a car crash in August 2016, but his body was not found for more than a week as the wreckage was hidden by trees.
His brother Andrew was taken to the scene in Darlington immediately, and the camera filmed him as he clambered up the grassy bank towards the site.
Andrew almost collapsed and let out a wail of horror as he saw his brother's car, which was totally smashed.
He said: "I still remember it was absolutely bounding with rain, I knew it was fatal as soon as I saw that car.
"There was no way anybody was coming away from that.
"It felt like somebody had took my heart out and stuck a knife through it, and it still feels like that now."
Darren, a newly-married dad, was a footballer and an appeal was on the Facebook page of Darlington football club after he went missing.
It is understood he and members of his family regularly attended their matches, home and away.
He was missing for eight days before his car was found, with his confused family wondering if he had gone to start a new life somewhere else.
They even wondered if he was depressed and had run away for that reason.
The inquest into Darren's death found no evidence Darren applied the brakes on his car, and the coroner ruled that Darren died in an accidental death.
One viewer tweeted: "Oh god my heart just broke seeing his brother arrive at the scene. Had a good cry. So awful. #reportedmissing "
"The howl of the poor brother as he went to the roundabout just broke me. RIP Darren," wrote another.
"OMG tonight's episode was so heartbreaking :( Seeing his brother being helped away from the scene had me in tears," penned a third.
* Reported Missing is available now on BBC iPlayer
