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Date Published: 25/08/2022

Body of elderly Belgian man missing from Alicante discovered in Murcia

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The octogenarian disappeared from his home in Hondón de los Frailes almost a month ago

Body of elderly Belgian man missing from Alicante discovered in Murcia

The search for a missing Belgian octogenarian which has been ongoing since August 1 has come to a tragic end after his body was discovered in an almond grove on Thursday August 25. 82-year-old Hugo Gerard Dewulf, who had limited mobility and frequently used a walking stick, was last seen in his village at around 6pm on a mobility scooter.

The local council organised several searches of the area and dozens of locals combed the countryside, but the only sign of Hugo was an unconfirmed sighting at a tobacconist until this week, when the owner of a farm in Macisvenda, Abanilla stumbled upon his remains under a tree.

The almond farmer alerted his family when he found the body, who contacted the Emergency Department. A mobility vehicle was found beside the body, which has been removed by a coroner to the Institute of Legal Medicine of Murcia for a post-mortem. The body does not show any outward signs of violence.

At the time of Hugo’s disappearance, the SOS Association explained that the 82-year-old spoke neither Spanish nor English, only Flemish, and that the maximum battery life on his mobility scooter was 50 kilometres.

Hugo’s body was found just 8.8 kilometres from his Alicante home.

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Image: Ayuntamiento de Hondon de los Frailes

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