Malaysian police confirm body is missing Briton Gareth Huntley#findgareth
Authorities in Malaysia have confirmed that a dead body found last week is that of Gareth Huntley. The 34-year-old British backpacker disappeared on 27 May after leaving a turtle sanctuary where he was volunteering to visit a waterfall on the island of Pulau Tioman.
Following Huntley's disappearance the Malaysian authorities came under mounting pressure, with celebrities including Stephen Fry joining the #findgareth Twitter campaign in a bid to persuade authorities to launch a major search of the area.
“We can't rule out any possibilities of foul play”
- Pahang state police chief
Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to the Malaysian prime minister about the search after receiving a letter from Huntley's mother Janet Southwell. She arrived on the island on 2 June to help with the search, which intensified in the following days. A body was found in a pond on 4 June just yards from the charity where Huntley was working as a volunteer. Mrs Southwell provided a sample of her DNA to help identify the body.
Pahang state police chief, Sharifuddin Ab Ghani said: "The cause of death is still undetermined, hence this case is still classified as sudden death at this stage, although we can't rule out any possibilities of foul play." He added: "No outside wound appeared on the body."
Huntley, originally from Yorkshire but resident in Hackney, east London, had been in Malaysia for several months and was due to travel to Singapore to begin a new job.
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