THE desperate hunt for a missing 64-year-old woman ended in tragedy after her body was found.

Ann Colam-Ainsworth, a mother and grandmother, had not been seen since she went missing from her Lockwood home at 6am last Thursday.

But over the weekend police confirmed that a body discovered in Armitage Bridge was that of the retired carer.

The 64-year-old’s body was discovered on Friday afternoon near Riverside Stables, Armitage Bridge.

No details of the grim find were released to the media until after she had been formally identified.

The coroner has been informed.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: “We would like to thank members of the public, the media and also the Colne Valley Search and Rescue Team for their assistance in the search.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to Mrs Colam-Ainsworth’s family.”

During the two-day search, members of the Holme Valley and Calder Valley mountain rescue teams were out in force helping in the hunt for Mrs Colam-Ainsworth.

More than 40 police officers and about 30 mountain rescuers had been scouring the area around her Meltham Road home for clues as to her whereabouts.

Mrs Colam-Ainsworth’s husband raised the alarm after he got up to find she had gone without taking any personal belongings such as her purse or a phone.

The search focused on nearby beauty spots, including Beaumont Park, Magdale and woods near Honley – areas where keen walker Mrs Colam-Ainsworth was known to visit regularly.

But after a night of freezing temperatures, fears for her safety were mounting more and more.

Mrs Colam-Ainsworth was fit and active and had never been missing before.