The police watchdog is investigating complaints by Richard Okorogheye’s mother and considering whether race played a role in the way the Metropolitan police handled reports of her son’s disappearance. The 19-year-old, who was a first-year business and IT undergraduate at Oxford Brookes University, was reported missing from Ladbroke Grove, west London, by his mother, Evidence Joel, on 23 March. She made further calls to the Met the following day. Okorogheye’s body was discovered in Epping Forest, Essex, on 5 April. A postmortem was conducted on 7 April. The police watchdog began investigating after a mandatory referral was received from the Met on 7 April. The Independent Office for Police Conduct met Joel on 16 April, when she informed investigators that she wished to complain about the way in which she was initially treated by the police and how her reports about the disappearance of her son were handled. The IOPC said its investigation would address these complaints, including whether ethnicity played a part in the way the initial reports of the disappearance were handled, and examine the Met’s overall handling of the missing person report. Joel previously has criticised the Met’s handling of the case, claiming her concerns were not “taken seriously” following her son’s disappearance. She said she was told by the force that Okorogheye, who suffered from sickle cell disease and has been shielding since last March due to the pandemic, was not considered “high risk” until he had been missing for six days. Joel told Sky News on 31 March: “I told a police officer that my son was missing, please help me find him, and she said, ‘If you can’t find your son, how do you expect police officers to find your son for you?’ I was expecting assurance. My son was missing and it broke my heart.” IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said: “Our thoughts are with Richard’s family and friends and all those affected by this tragic loss. We have spoken to his family and explained our role. Our investigation will establish whether the police responded appropriately to the concerns raised that Richard was missing. “We will examine whether the force appropriately risk-assessed those reports, and if the amount of resources the Metropolitan police dedicated to its inquiries were suitable based on the information known by the police and the risks posed. “As there is a mandatory requirement for police forces to refer to us incidents which result in a death or serious injury, we will examine the actions and decisions of the police when dealing with the missing person report made in respect of a vulnerable young man. “We will also consider whether Richard’s or his mother’s ethnicity played a part in the way the initial reports of his disappearance were handled.”