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Three arrested and murder investigation launched after police recover body from Poole Harbour

Police have recovered a body from Poole Harbour and arrested three men on suspicion of murder after a man went missing from a sailing boat off the Dorset coast.

Police were alerted on Sunday to the disappearance of Michael Mitchell, 35, who was reported to have gone into the water from a vessel in Arne Bay on Friday evening.

Detectives were called at 6.11am on Tuesday about an unresponsive man, who was later confirmed dead, in the water close to Baiter Park, in Poole.

While no formal identification has taken place, police believe it to be Mr Mitchell, and his family have been updated.

An investigation, being led by detectives from Dorset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), is now under way, and three men have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A 46-year-old man from Poole, a 31-year-old man of no fixed abode and a 22-year-old man from Essex remain in police custody.

Dorset Police said the arrested men and Mr Mitchell, from Chelmsford, Essex, are believed to be known to each other.

The force said the arrests had been "made to assist the investigation in gathering information and also to provide legal protection to those involved as inquiries continue".

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Detective Chief Inspector Nicky Jenkins, of MCIT, said Michael Mitchell's family were being updated with developments and that the force's thoughts were with them.

"We are carrying out a comprehensive investigation to establish the circumstances of the death."

"We are compiling detailed evidence to establish a clear picture of what happened, and we would urge people to refrain from speculating on the circumstances of this incident."

"We would urge anyone who has any information that might assist our investigation, or who has had any recent contact with Mr Mitchell, to please come forward."

Police previously said the investigation was looking at the circumstances of Mr Mitchell going missing between around 8pm and 9pm on 29 May and "the subsequent reporting of the matter two days later".

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: Three arrested and murder investigation launched after police recover body from Poole Harbour

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