Family pay tribute to "much-loved husband and devoted dad" Andy Reed

A family have paid tribute to a "much-loved husband and devoted dad" following the death of a 62-year-old man.

Officers discovered the body of Andy Reed in a ditch by the side of Old Gloucester Road in Staverton near Cheltenham at around 1.20pm on Sunday 3 May.

His family have now paid tribute to him saying: "As a family we have no words to describe the loss of Andy; a much-loved husband and devoted dad. Our hearts have been shattered and lives have been changed forever.

"Andy wasn’t just a husband, but a best friend. We made many years of happy memories and he made my life complete, I can’t imagine life without him.

"Andy was an amazing, kind and gentle man with all of the time in the world for his family. He would help anyone with anything he could.

"He enjoyed slow days at home pottering around in the garden and garage and taking our dog for long walks. These things he enjoyed with his wife, children and grandchildren.

"He provided us with comfort, guidance and was a role model for us all. He celebrated all of our wins and stood beside us through our hardest days without hesitation.

"We are so grateful for the kindness and support from everyone who has brought us comfort during this difficult time.

"His love will stay with us for the rest of our lives and we will miss him every second of every day." 

The Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT) have taken on the investigation into Andy's death, which is still being treated as unexplained following a post-mortem examination which revealed a number of unexplained injuries.

Andy was last seen in the Staverton area at around 10pm on Saturday 25 April and was reported missing on Tuesday 28 April. A missing person appeal was issued by police the following day, and Andy was then located by officers on Sunday 3 May.

Enquiries are ongoing and detectives are continuing to appeal to the public for information which could help them piece together what happened to Andy in the days he was missing.  

They are still urging anyone who has not already spoken to police, and who may have seen Andy walking or cycling along Old Gloucester Road in Staverton between 10pm on Saturday 25 April and 1.20pm on Sunday 3 May, to get in touch.

Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, or who has dashcam or doorbell footage which may have captured Andy during that time period, is asked to get in touch with police.

Andy was around 6ft tall and of a slim build, with stubble facial hair and short dark brown hair which was thinning on the top. He was wearing a blue body warmer over a khaki green jumper, brown cords and he was carrying a black rucksack.

Information can be submitted online by using the following form and quoting incident 237 of 3 May: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/

Did you know you can report information anonymously through the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers? More information can be found here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously

Andy Reed