The grieving mother of Nathan Butler has told KentOnline how she sat beside her son's body for 20 minutes after he was found in a park.

Police and volunteers were out in force across the weekend to try and find Nathan Butler, after he went missing from his Grove Green home on Saturday.

A search helicopter and a drone were launched, but it was the 32-year-old's friends who found him at 4pm yesterday.

His mother Sonia Butler arrived at the park in Maidstone shortly afterwards, spending 20 minutes at her son's side.

The mother-of-four said: "He had said before he wanted to die outside, looking up at the stars, somewhere peaceful.

"Sitting next to him was calm and comforting, the sun had started to go down and I could talk to him.

"I told him I disagreed with his decision, I really disagreed with it. But I respected his right to make it, bearing in mind the pain he lived through.

"I thanked him for trying so hard for so long, I could see this was his way of finding some final peace."

The keen writer had been diagnosed with depression age 11 and was diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder shortly afterwards.

Growing up, he began to question his gender, which was described by family as "fluid", while continuing to struggle with depression and anxiety.

When his mental health deteriorated six months ago, the former Rochester Math School student moved out of his flat in Marsham Street, Maidstone and back in with his parents in Grove Green.

Rebekah Jordan was with her husband Ben and another friend when they found Mr Butler's body.

She said: "He never knew how much he helped everyone.

"He cared so much for us and our family. Ben and I will miss those fantastic nights staying up all night debating everything from movies to politics and religion. We could talk about anything and pick up where we had left off."

Mrs Butler added: "It took him a long time to manage himself and understand his autism, but as he got older he began to explain it to others.

"I could always see a future for Nathan, but it got to the point where getting through it was too much.

"Nathan was the one who would notice if I needed a hug, he was hyper aware of others' feelings, he wondered why other people didn't accommodate those feelings.

"Autism and depression are often linked, I just want parents to understand their child might be living with these problems, or they might be questioning their gender, it's so important to talk."

Mrs Butler wrote a poem this morning in tribute to her son, who was also an avid reader and a fan of horror films. It reads:

Nathan, Nat,

Who will tell amazing things,

Who will care enough to challenge my thinking,

Who will be clever and thoughtful and respect me enough to take time to explain over

and over, to a slow learner, what autistic spectrum disorder is like to live with,

Who will broaden my horizons, on gender, on the essence of who a person is

Who will update me on American politics,

Who will see when I'm hurting and give me the hug

you needed to make sure I had,

Who will explain, who will want to share, be willing to share like you did,

Who will ever give me the privilege of sharing their life and inner soul like you did,

You had a gift, you were a gift,

You were a challenge, a whole heart, a scary place, a place of comfort,

You were part of my soul, my inner most being,

You would disagree, But I thank God for you,

You made me more,

Nathan; a gift of God

Friend Alix Frayne remembered Mr Butler as someone who "just wanted to help others and fix problems, even if he couldn't help himself."

Amy-Joy Butler, Nathan's sister, said: "Nathan was really funny and the most caring person I've ever met.

"It's almost like all the care and love mixed with all the depression and the darkness he had, and he just couldn't deal with it any more."

If you're struggling with your mental health, or this article has affected you, please contact Samaritans on 116 123.

Links to local mental health support services can be found on Kent County Council's Release the Pressure website, click here to find out more.