UPDATE: Friday, 24 February

Officers are no longer looking for missing 71-year-old man Baden Powell, following the discovery of a body in a field near Ulley Village, Rotherham, yesterday afternoon (23.02.12).

The force’s helicopter directed officers on the ground to the location, after detecting the body while searching for the missing pensioner. 

Formal identification of the body will need to take place and a post mortem will be carried out to establish cause of death, though it is not thought to be suspicious.

[ends] 

Officers searching for missing Sheffield man Baden Powell, 71, are now extremely concerned for his safety and welfare.

Enquiries are continuing to establish where the pensioner went after discharging himself from Rotherham District General Hospital (RDGH) at around 3pm on Sunday, 19 February.

Baden has not been seen since he left the hospital before he could be treated after he’d collapsed in the Rhino Public House, in Rotherham town centre, at around 2.30pm. 

Baden lives alone in the nearby Tinsley area of Sheffield. Police have carried out searches, but there is no evidence that he has returned home.

It is thought at this stage that he either made his way on foot or may have caught a bus out of the area, but no contact has been made with him since. He is known to be a walker, so he may have used one of the many paths across Canklow Woods, though initial searches have not found any trace of him.

South Yorkshire Police Superintendent Andrew Parker, from Rotherham district, said: "Currently we have no confirmed sightings or CCTV footage of Baden and it doesn't look like he has made contact with anyone since he left the hospital on Sunday. This is not typical behaviour for Baden. We are now extremely concerned about his welfare and are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen him or has information about his whereabouts. We are obviously keen to know that he is safe and well or what his movements were.

“Baden is a white man, about five feet eight inches tall, with a medium build. He has grey hair, thinning on top and a grey/brown beard. Baden was wearing a brown, three-quarter length duffle coat at the time he disappeared.

“We have information that he had a sister, but as yet have no contact information for her. I would ask that if Baden or his sister hear about this appeal, that they make contact with the police immediately.”

Officers are continuing to review CCTV and search areas along the routes Baden may have taken. Police are asking members of the public to contact them immediately if they have seen Baden anytime after 3pm on Sunday, 19 February. Call 101 and quote reference: KX/802/2012.