Bones of missing French backpacker, 21, wash up on Aussie beach four months after he vanished with his British pal
HUMAN bones that washed up on an Australian beach are believed to be a vanished French backpacker, police say.
20-year-old Erwan Ferrieux has been missing since February with Brit pal Hugo Palmer after they were reported missing from a New South Wales beach.
DESPERATE SEARCH
Three bones were discovered last month at the southern end of Flynn’s beach, New South Wales.
In a statement, New South Wales Police spokesperson said: “Forensic testing has confirmed the bones are human and belong to one person.
“The remains are believed to be that of 20-year-old Erwan Ferrieux, who has been missing since February 2019 – but they will require further examination to confirm this”.
According to police, a “small bone” also washed up in the northern end of the same beach on Sunday, but it’s too early to determine who it may have come from and requires extensive forensic testing.
The bone is reportedly from a different part of the anatomy to the previous bones found.
Erwan and Hugo had known each other since school – with Facebook posts of the good mates dating back to 2013 – and had travelled to Oz together on “the holiday of a lifetime.”
In an Instagram post, prior to departing the UK, Hugo wrote: “I’ll be travelling to the other side of the world with my amazing friends. Can’t wait to make some great memories.”
‘HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME’
But police feared the boys had drowned in rough seas after they disappeared from Shelley beach in Port Macquarie, and walkers found belongings as well as travel documents locked inside a rental car parked nearby.
At the time of the boy’s disappearance police issued a statement saying: “About 6.30am yesterday morning, two walkers identified two towels and some items of clothing on the beach close to the waterline.
“They also located some car keys belonging to a silver Commodore station wagon with Queensland registration plates, parked in the car park.
“Police attended, searched the vehicle then came back in the afternoon and that’s when a preliminary search started to commence.
“The concern is that a number of personal items were located in the vehicle we would believe they wouldn’t leave, such as personal items.
“We know that they arrived in Port Macquarie on Sunday morning and we believe from information provided so far that the items may have been there since Sunday evening as well.
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“Chances are exceptionally slim [of surviving in the water since Sunday]; the conditions yesterday and the day before were terrible.”
At a vigil held for the missing boys a week after their disappearance, Hugo’s mother said she felt “numb” since learning of her son’s disappearance.
An attendee of the vigil from the French Consulate spoke on behalf of the Ferrieux family, saying they were in shock but that they “are very proud of their son”.
New South Wales Police say forensic enquiries into the bones are ongoing.
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