A cyclist who disappeared in Europe after eating wild mushrooms has been found dead in Italy.
Father-of-two Steven Harper, 38, left Dundee last year to cycle to India but went missing during his adventure.
The alarm was raised in December after the Scotsman failed to get in touch with family and friends for about a month.
His radio silence came after he foraged, boiled and ate wild mushrooms near Monaco.
In his last known message, Steven told his sister-in-law that he was sick and felt like he’d eaten something he “shouldn’t have”.
It has now emerged Steven fell from a cliff in Ventimiglia, a few miles from the French-Italian border, an hour after the message on 23 November.
Speaking to Sky News, his older brother Dale Harper said: “I am proud of him, but I am just so broken knowing he’s not there anymore.”
Dale, 40, had travelled to France last month and attempted to retrace his sibling’s last known steps towards Italy, but returned home to Dundee without any news.
Steven and Dale Harper. Pic: Dale Harper
Shortly after Christmas, Dale received a call that a body had been found matching Steven’s description.
Dale flew out to Italy at the beginning of January to identify his brother.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Dale said: “The search ended in heartbreak with the discovery of Steven’s body in Italy.”
Dale said Steven was seen falling from a cliff overlooking the harbour in Ventimiglia and nearby workmen rushed to his aid. A helicopter was deployed but he reportedly died as a result of internal bleeding from the fall.
Steven’s passport was said to have been stolen during a robbery earlier in November which may have led to delays in identification.
Dale said: “We are still waiting on the toxicology report, but from the evidence we have it seems most likely that Steven had felt delirious due to the toxins, lost balance and fell with his belongings.
“He just made a mistake, there was no malice in this.”
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Dale added: “I take comfort in knowing he was doing what he wanted to do, wasn’t wanting for anything, and was surrounded by people in his last moments in a place he always said he had wanted to die – somewhere beautiful and it doesn’t get much more beautiful than where he is now.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been contacted for comment.
Watch new foreign affairs show The World with Yalda Hakim from Monday to Thursday between 9pm and 10pm on Sky News.
