Body of missing tourist found in Minorca

The family of 77-year-old Richard Riley, last seen in Minorca on September 22, were yesterday informed by Bolton police that his body has been found. The body of the Bolton grandfather, who was on a two-week holiday with his wife and family in the resort of Cala Galdana in Minorca, was found by a resident from Ferreries, out mushroom hunting, at 3pm on Monday. The body was found in a wooded area which borders a range of cliffs on the Binissaid estate, difficult to search from the air and on land. Despite the advanced stage of decomposition, police sources said yesterday that personal items found about the body and the clothes enabled police and forensics to identify the body, which on Monday evening was taken to the morgue in Ciutadella and the British vice-consul to Minorca, Deborah Hellyer, was informed. Bolton police visited the family home on Monday evening, telling his wife Agnes and daughters, Jean and Angela, that a body had been found and that further information was expected. Richard Riley, who suffers from dementia, went missing on September 22, the family did not officially contact the National Police until the 24th. Apparently, Riley had already gone missing once during the holiday, but turned up at the aparthotel complex a couple of hours later. Mrs Riley remembers “he said he was going for a walk and that he would be about an hour. Two hours later when he had not returned I got worried and contacted our travel representative.” The family had arrived in Minorca for their holiday on September 19 and Agnes Riley and the daughters stayed on, past the end of their holiday to help the search. But last week, the family returned home, a week after police called off the search. Most of the island's police forces and emergency services participated in the week-long search for the 77-year-old. Guardia Civil helicopters were even brought in to assist, but apart from one false alert, no sign of the missing man was found and the hunt eventually called off.