Missing poet's body discovered at music festival

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【Summary】A body has been found during the search for Gboyega Odubanjo, a poet who went missing at a music festival in Northamptonshire. The 27-year-old was last seen at the Shambala music festival and his family, friends, and supporters launched a social media campaign and organized search parties. The body was discovered during a specialized search and while formal identification is pending, there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

FutureCar Staff Aug 31, 2023 7:23 AM PT

Missing poet's body discovered at music festival

During a search operation near a music festival in Northamptonshire, police have discovered a body while attempting to locate a missing poet. Gboyega Odubanjo, who was invited to read poetry at the Shambala music festival, was last seen at around 4am on Saturday. In response to his disappearance, his family, friends, and supporters launched a social media campaign and organized search parties in the area.

Northamptonshire Police released a statement on Thursday confirming the discovery of a body during the search for the 27-year-old man. The body was found shortly before 9am on Thursday, August 31, during a specialized search of the area. Although formal identification is pending, the man's family has been notified and is receiving support from trained officers.

The man had been reported missing on Sunday, August 27, after being last seen at the Shambala festival in the early morning hours of the previous day. The police have stated that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell expressed condolences to the man's family and requested that the media and public respect their privacy during this difficult time. He also thanked all those involved in the search efforts, including the volunteer members of Northamptonshire Search and Rescue and the specialist search-trained officers from other forces.

Officers from Northamptonshire Police will now prepare a file for the coroner. The search operation, led by detectives, utilized search dogs, trained police search advisers, neighborhood and response officers, a police dive team, and volunteer members of Northamptonshire Search and Rescue.

Gboyega Odubanjo, originally from Bromley in south-east London, was studying for a PhD in creative writing at the University of Hertfordshire. He attended the festival with friends but became separated from them in the early hours of Saturday. His work has been published in reputable publications such as the Guardian, the Poetry Review, and the New Statesman.