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'I just want to put my boy to rest'

Jasmine LoweIn Hull
Jasmine Lowe/BBC News A woman with ginger hair and a fringe, she has dark blue eyes and glasses on her head. She looks upset and is staring into the camera. She is sitting in a living room, with a TV on the wall behind her and furniture to the right.Jasmine Lowe/BBC News
Helen Childs says she wants her son Sam to "come home"

The mother of a missing autistic man, who is thought to have entered the Humber estuary five months ago, says she remains hopeful his body will be found.

Sam, 24, was last seen on 6 November at Victoria Dock, in Hull, and police believe CCTV footage indicates he entered the water.

His mum Helen Childs said: "I really want to just do that last thing for him that he deserves. We just want him to come home so we can give him a funeral."

"We hope every day, we say every night, will it be today? We are still hopeful."

The family is preparing for Sam's 25th birthday in April.

"We'll stand at the dock and we'll look at the water knowing that he's in there and he shouldn't be," said Helen.

"He just shouldn't be in the water."

Officers searching for Sam looked at hours of CCTV footage and carried out house-to-house inquiries.

On 18 November, Humberside Police said CCTV footage appeared to show a figure entering the water about nine minutes and 164ft (50m) from the last sighting.

At the time, Ch Insp Owen Stafford said: "Due to the distance of the camera, and the location of the figure, it's incredibly difficult to confirm an identity. However, from our thorough inquiries, we do believe this is Sam in the footage."

Officers are continuing to appeal for additional information.

Tributes pinned to a sea wall above the brown waters of a river estuary. They include red and yellow flowers, a red and white scarf, a Liverpool FC Anfield Road plaque and a car number plate that reads "SAM".
Flowers left for Sam at Victoria Dock in Hull

Helen said spring tides this month were likely to expose more of the estuary banks.

"Knowing this has given us some fresh hope that it's possible he could resurface around this time.

"So as the tides change and the banks are exposed, he could be seen. I know it'll be awful for a dog walker or a jogger."

She is urging anybody who spots anything to call the coastguard and quote the log reference 309 from 6 November.

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