A man is due to appear in court charged with murder after police officers searching for a missing dog found the body of a man. Ian Gary Connell, 39, from Bolton, would appear at Manchester and Salford magistrates’ court on Saturday, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said. Officers responding to reports of a burglary on Tuesday, in which it was reported a white labradoodle dog had been taken, found the body of 45-year-old Donald “Prentice” Patience. The force said he had been “dead for several days”. Ian Gary Connell, 39, from Bolton, was due to appear at Manchester and Salford magistrates court on Saturday, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said. Patience’s loved ones described him as “a much-loved son, brother and father [who] will be sorely missed by many, affectionately known as Prentice”, in a statement released via GMP. The force added: “It has now been established that Mr Patience had been dead for several days, although the cause of death is still unknown and will be investigated further.” GMP said two other men, aged 27 and 41, had been bailed pending further inquiries. On Friday the house remained cordoned off and forensic officers were at the scene. Flowers had been left by the back wall of the house.