Scott Billingham: Body of a man discovered near a creek in Mackay is identified 24 hours after his girlfriend made an emotional plea to find him when he disappeared following a night of drinking

The body of a man who disappeared after a day of drinking has been identified by forensic pathologists.

Scott Billingham, 38, was located at McCreadys Creek, near Mackay in Queensland, on Thursday morning.

The body was discovered at 9:30 a.m. and identified at 3 p.m.

The tragic news came less than 24 hours after his girlfriend made an emotional appeal for anyone with information to come forward and help end the “nightmare”.

Kylie Gunters said she loved and missed him through her tears, vowing she would “never stop looking for him.”

The father of three was last seen around 5pm on March 8 on Andergrove Road.

It is believed he was dropped off near the shops on Emperor Drive after socializing with friends at the Andergrove Tavern.

Emergency services, including SES personnel and an RACQ CQ rescue helicopter crew, have conducted extensive searches of the area around Andergrove over recent weeks.

They extended the search to McCreadys Creek, closing the area to the public Thursday afternoon.

It remains unclear whether Mr Billingham’s body was found in the water or on land.

Mackay Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Eaton is urging anyone with information that could help investigators to come forward.

A subsequent report is being prepared for the coroner.