News / Joseph Day
$100,000 raised to bring Joseph Day home to New Zealand
More than $100,000 has been raised to repatriate New Zealander Joseph Day, whose body was tragically found in the Avon Gorge.
Joseph went missing from his Clifton home on April 30. A body was later found in the river on May 3 and formal identification later confirmed it was Joseph.
The former cameraman for New Zealand news broadcaster TVNZ moved to Bristol with his fiancée, Kelsey Mulcahy, in January.
is needed now More than ever
Kelsey travelled to London on Saturday and was texting her until 9.30pm when he stopped replying.
In the early hours of this morning (Tuesday 3 May) Police located and recovered the body of a man in Avon Gorge, Bristol.
While formal identification has not yet taken place, we have updated the family of missing 31-year-old Joseph Day.https://t.co/T1fWa3o3xa pic.twitter.com/1OFvIpIfdJ
— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) May 3, 2022
An online fundraiser has now raised more than 100,000 New Zealand dollars to bring Joseph to his home in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It has received almost 1850 donations in 12 days.
The money, equivalent to more than £50,000, will also be used to support Joseph’s loved ones in their journey to the UK.
In a statement, the 31-year-old’s family called his death a “terrible accident”.
They said: “At this stage, Joseph’s death is still being treated as unexplained and the coroner’s inquest has not yet been completed. From the evidence that has been presented to us by the police, as a family, we believe that Joseph has had a terrible accident.
“We know that the Avon and Somerset police are under a great deal of pressure to give media a statement due to the exceptional public interest both in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
“There are still further lines of inquiry taking place and we do ask for privacy during this incredibly difficult time until we have further answers.”
A celebration of Joseph’s life for family and friends will be held at Auckland Town Hall on May 26 at 11am.
Main photo: Kelsey Mulcahy
Read more: Body recovered in search for missing Joseph Day
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
