Family pay tribute to ‘free-wheeling spirit’ who was found dead in Droxford

TRIBUTES have been paid to a cyclist who was found dead in a Hampshire village.
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Police confirmed that Declan Murray, 55, from Southampton, was the body found in Droxford on Monday, August 10.

He was was found at around 11pm on the B2150, near the Station Road junction, after his bicycle was involved in a collision.

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He was reported missing to police six days later on 16 August, and following a number of enquiries, including formal identification procedures, police confirmed it was his body which was located in Droxford.

Tributes have been paid to Declan Murray who was found dead in Droxford. Picture: Hampshire ConstabularyTributes have been paid to Declan Murray who was found dead in Droxford. Picture: Hampshire Constabulary
Tributes have been paid to Declan Murray who was found dead in Droxford. Picture: Hampshire Constabulary
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Paying tribute to him today, his family said: ‘Sadly, our brother, Declan, has been taken from us in a late-night bicycle accident on a rural back-road.

‘A tragedy, of course, but in a strange sort of way, he died as he lived.

‘A free-wheeling spirit riding a road less travelled.

‘Adept at switching gears to match the bumpy terrain life's journey presents to us all.

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‘Declan was a man with a wit as sharp as his “smarts”, and a defender of the downtrodden, who waged his own unique fight for fairness.

His family continued: ‘As one family member put it, Dec was a man who “wanted to change the world”.

‘He did. He changed our family's own little world. A world he's now left physically, but one which he'll orbit through the many fond memories in our hearts.

‘RIP, bro!’

A Home Office Post Mortem Examination has taken place, and the initial findings indicate that there were no other vehicles involved in the collision.

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Declan’s next of kin are aware and are being supported by specialist officers.

Enquiries into the exact circumstances of the death remain ongoing, however we are satisfied there is no third party involvement.

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