Hundreds united in search for missing Daniel Hodgin

But today there are fears that the search for the missing 20-year-old has ended in tragedy.

Police have linked the discovery of a body in the River Severn to the search for Daniel, although they stress that there has not yet been any formal identification.

Daniel's family had been searching day and night after he went missing on November 22.

But despite poster appeals, internet campaigns, organised public searches and diving teams looking along the River Severn, the investigation continued to draw a blank.

Daniel was last seen when he went for a night out with friends in Shrewsbury on November 21. It is thought he left The Buttermarket nightclub in the town at about 3.30am the following morning, but he never returned home.

He spoke to his mother Lorraine Firmstoneo on the telephone at around 5.30am. She offered to pick him up in her car, but he said he did not know where he was.

Mrs Firmstone , speaking at the time, said: "He said he would walk home although he was unsure where he was so we drove to Shrewsbury anyway but could not find him."

Daniel was reported missing on November 23, and Mrs Firmstone said she and her family had been searching round the clock for her son.

"As a family we have been in and around Shrewsbury searching day and night, we have given out leaflets asking for anyone to come forward with any information, whether that be having seen Daniel or any of his possessions," said Mrs Firmstone at a press conference immediately after his disappearance.

Police scoured river banks in the town over the following days as they searched for his mobile phone, and officers went to The Buttermarket the following Friday and Saturday in the hope of jogging somebody's memory.

The weekend after his disappearance, more than 200 people, armed with Missing posters printed by the Shropshire Star, turned out for a day-long search for clues as to Daniel's whereabouts. Hundreds more of the posters were downloaded and spread on Twitter and Facebook after being placed on shropshirestar.com.

His sister Emily Hodgin said she was still hopeful Daniel would return, adding that he would not want to miss Christmas.

She said: "So many people have turned out, including a lot of people who don't even know Daniel or the family. We would like to thank everyone."

Businesses in Shrewsbury threw their weight behind the search, with shops in the town displaying the posters in their windows.

As the search intensified, divers and underwater search teams were drafted in from Nottingham and Wales, scouring the weir area of the River Severn in Shrewsbury.

At the start of December, officers revealed they had completed their search of the area in the immediate vicinity of the club, and would be widening their net.

Divers from the West Midlands Search and Rescue team took to the water between the weir and Atcham and dog handlers were also called in.

The appeal sparked a number of calls from members of the public with potential sightings, but they came to nothing.

On December 16 police said fresh appeals had continued to draw a blank, despite receiving a number of potential sightings from across the country.

On the five-week anniversary of Daniel's disappearance, his parents spoke about the heartache of spending their first Christmas without their son, and their hopes that they would be reunited with him in the new year.

Dennis Hodgin and Lorraine Firmstone said they had put all festive celebrations on hold until Daniel was found.

Mrs Firmstone said: "I haven't done any Christmas shopping. I was going to go out and buy Dan things for when he gets back but I thought he wouldn't care about things like that he will just be happy to be home.

"I said to Emily we will have Christmas when Dan comes home. It's a family time and when someone is missing there is nothing to celebrate."

Mrs Firmstone refused to give up hope, adding: "We've been down there at the same time in the morning that Dan was there. We've come to Shrewsbury every day ever since. We've done miles up the river just looking for him."