Robert Duff disappearance: Police search Highgate Pond - BBC News
Police think the body of Robert Duff, who vanished in 2013, may be in the water on Hampstead Heath.
Dive teams will search the No1 pond in Highgate "over the coming weeks" police said

Police divers are searching a pond on Hampstead Heath for the body of a man who disappeared nearly eight years ago.

Robert Duff, who would now be 45, has not been seen since 12 January 2013 when he failed to attend his daughter's 18th birthday party.

Police now believe his remains might be in the No1 pond in Highgate, Camden, after new information came to light.

Mr Duff's mother said the prospect his remains could be in "a pond I walk past regularly is quite upsetting".

"The appropriate steps weren't taken even though we told them that Robert's actions were completely out of character," she said.

"It feels like a lot of time has been wasted and evidence lost."

In May 2018, two men were arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Duff but were later released under investigation.

The Met has worked on the theory that Mr Duff was involved in a fight with two men on the day he vanished and was killed that evening.

That night several people saw him in a flat in Bredgar Road in Archway, north London.

Det Insp Tom Williams said: "My team remains committed to finding Robert and providing the answers that his family are so desperately longing for.

"Following previous appeals, information was provided to my team that has led us to conduct a search of the No1 pond in Highgate.

"This work will continue over the coming weeks."

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.