A BODY found by police is believed to be that of missing Scunthorpe woman Carol Nicholson.

The 52-year-old grandmother was reported missing on Tuesday, August 24, after she absconded from the care of Great Oaks Adult Mental Unit.

As reported on www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk, the body of a female, believed to be Mrs Nicholson, was found in undergrowth near Pittwood House in Ashby Road, close to North Lincolnshire Council offices, shortly after noon yesterday.

Mrs Nicholson, who previously owned the Candy Corner sweet shop in Cottage Beck Road, had been a patient at Great Oaks in Ashby for the past three years.

Speaking after Mrs Nicholson went missing, husband John, 45, of Bushfield Road, told the Telegraph she had run away before and made several suicide attempts.

He said: "We have been married for 26 years. We all feel like we lost Carol as a wife and a mother three years ago when she became ill.

"It is really sad but she was no longer the person she used to be and the person we all loved."

The mum-of-one began suffering with mild anxiety in 2007 and had recently been diagnosed with a multiple personality disorder.

Mr Nicholson said: "Carol's illness came from nowhere.

"One day she literally started crying in the shop and it escalated from there."

He said Mrs Nicholson had absconded more than ten times before but was always found within eight or ten hours and for never more than a day.

Her son Lee-John, 24, of Lindale Gardens, said: "I feel like we lost mum a long time ago. Everything about her had changed – her looks, even her eyes and her voice."

Divers from the Humberside police marine section and two police horses joined the search for Mrs Nicholson yesterday, while further police officers and search dogs continued to hunt across Scunthorpe.

Detective Inspector James Fairgrieve, who is leading the investigation, said the female body had been discovered by a specialist search officer.

He said: "The plan is to identify the deceased and medical examinations will follow.

"There will be further inquiries into how this lady found herself in this location. Initially, it is about ruling out any suspicious circumstances."

Mr Fairgrieve said areas such as Central Park would often play a part in searches such as yesterday's.

He said: "Open spaces are always a feature of missing person inquiries. There was nothing specifically pointing us to Central Park but it would be routine to search such an open space."

Police confirmed formal identification is expected to take place today.