More than three years after the disappearance of a young man from Germany on the Canary Islands, his death has now been determined.
April 5, 2026, 6:07 amApril 5, 2026, 6:07 am
As the family’s lawyer confirmed upon request, the Spanish authorities informed the responsible German police station that the missing man’s body was found by a hunter in a ravine on the island of Tenerife.
The young backpacker died after a fall while hiking in Tenerife.Image: keystone
The local newspaper “Die Harke” had previously reported and cited an Instagram post from the family. The uncertainty cost the family a lot of strength, the newspaper quotes from the Instagram post. “Now we have certainty and can begin to say goodbye.” The family would like to thank everyone who helped in the search for the missing person or supported the family. The family asked not to make inquiries.
Body found a year ago
The then 23-year-old man had been missing since August 4, 2022. He had traveled to the Spanish island of Gran Canaria for a backpacking holiday when contact with him broke off. Analysis of his telephone data showed that he was on the east coast of the neighboring island of Tenerife. The ZDF program “Aktenzeichen XY … unsolved” picked up the missing person case in September 2022.
According to the Spanish authorities, the body was found on February 5, 2025. The clear identification was then carried out through a DNA test, according to the law firm’s statement. The body showed signs of burns. Since there were serious forest fires in the area in August 2023, it can be assumed that the dead man was already lying there at that time.
Forensic examination revealed fall injuries
It is currently assumed that the young man fell in the impassable terrain shortly after the last contact with his relatives and died as a result, it was said. A forensic postmortem examination revealed an injury consistent with a fall. According to the Spanish authorities, there was no evidence of foul play. (sda/dpa)