THE body of an elderly man who “disappeared off the face of the earth” was discovered more than a year later in thick undergrowth just 25 feet from a busy road, an inquest has heard.

Detectives think Michael Laing, who suffered from dementia, may have been trying to walk the six miles from Wareham to his Harman’s Cross home.

The 76-year-old’s disappearance, in August 2009, prompted a large search and rescue operation which included several police units and the force helicopter.

Investigators now believe the father-of-one either fell down a steep embankment alongside the A351, or got into difficulty as he crossed Stoborough Heath, where his body was discovered 16 months later, last December.

Mr Laing, a Londoner, had lived with his family in the Wareham area in the 1980s. The family moved to America at the end of that decade, but Mr Laing’s business venture failed. He later divorced, then returned to Purbeck alone.

Friends of Mr Laing had contacted his son to voice concerns about his father’s mental state just weeks before he disappeared.

His son eventually flew back to the UK from his Australian home after his father was reported missing.

Detective Inspector Marcus Hester, of Weymouth CID, told yesterday’s Bournemouth inquest there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. Police carried out an extensive investigation alongside last year’s search, but DI Hester said: “In effect on August 10 Michael Laing disappeared off the face of the earth.”

His skeletal remains were examined by forensic experts who found no obvious signs of trauma.

Robert Harrison, a friend of Mr Laing, said: “His friends were worried about him. We thought perhaps he should have been thinking about going into a home. But Michael just didn’t want to know.

“He seemed a very lonely man after his divorce.”

The coroner recorded an open verdict.