Family believe missing man dead

Mr King was in Australia on a working holiday

A body found in a river in Melbourne, Australia, is believed to be that of the missing County Armagh man, Stephen King.

The body was found shortly before before midday on Saturday.

Mr King's family said they expected his remains to be released by the coroner later this week.

Mr King, from Keady, went missing two weeks ago after a night out with friends. He intended to spend a year in Australia on a working holiday.

His brothers arrived in Melbourne last week to help with the search. He arrived in Australia three weeks ago for a year-long working holiday.

Mr King, a tiler and bricklayer, was last seen with a group of friends in a bar on 19 July.

It is understood that he left his friends in the pub in Southbank to go to a casino, but there is no evidence that he entered the premises.

Australian police said they could not formally identify the remains until DNA tests were completed.

However, the King family in a statement said they were devastated by news of his death and paid tribute to his friends and "the wider Irish community in Melbourne for their tireless efforts during the past two weeks".

The family said they would like to acknowledge and thank the people of Keady and beyond who had supported them and continued to support them "during this very difficult time".