Missing man 'murdered' say police

Mr Price was last seen taking his dog for a walk

Police searching for a man missing since the beginning of May have said they are now treating his disappearance as a murder inquiry.

Dogs trained to find bodies have been brought in help search for Stephen Price, 47, from Paignton, Devon.

Detectives said they were being used to conduct an 'intelligence-led' search of various areas in the South Hams.

Stephen Price was last seen taking his dog for a walk on 2nd May. The animal returned home without him.

Unusual circumstances

The investigating officer Det Supt Stephen Carey said officers had decided to upgrade Mr Stephen's case from a missing person's inquiry to a murder investigation "because of the circumstances".

He declined to elaborate what those circumstances were.

Police said before Mr Price disappeared he was involved in an altercation with a man over a van parked near his home.

They would like to speak to anyone who may have seen a llight blue Ford Transit van in Great Western Close, Paignton, or in "suspicious circumstances" over the first weekend in May.

Officers are also looking for a tarpaulin stolen from a swing seat at a nearby house on the same weekend.

A man arrested in connection with the inquiry has been released on police bail.