A missing man from Angus has been found dead in a river in Germany after a month-long search, his family have announced.
Gareth Hicks, 32, from Forfar, had not been seen or heard from since disappearing in Munich on February 23 and the circumstances of his death remain unknown.
Heart-broken family members have confirmed the tragic discovery of his body in the River Isar on Wednesday.
They have launched a fundraising campaign to bring his body home, which is expected to cost around £9,000 and must be done by March 25 due to coronavirus travel restrictions.
A family announcement on the GoFundMe campaign page read: “It is with great sadness that I announce the death of our beloved brother, son and fiancé, Gareth.
“Munich police found his body in the river Isar on Wednesday, we don’t know any circumstances surrounding his death, but ask that you respect the family at this awful time.
“We would like to thank everyone who has supported our search for Gareth, it really means the world to us.
“The money raised will go towards bringing his body home. We have created this Go Fund Me page to raise the rest of the money for repatriation and funeral.
“Any money that is left over will he donated to the Lucie Blackman Trust, who helped us in our search.
“The family are all completely shattered.
“What is worse is that the German authorities are putting pressure on us to make arrangements for the body ASAP.”
The family member said that “under no circumstances” would the family want Gareth’s body to be cremated so far from home.
They want to bring him back to Lincoln, where he grew up before moving to Forfar.
The statement added: “A case worker at Lucie Blackman Trust has informed us that an estimated cost to get Gareth home will be 9k likely more due to the current Covid situation.”
Gareth was out with friends at Blitz nightclub when he was said to have left “unexpectedly”, leaving friends and family seriously worried.
He posted a selfie on Facebook at around 3am on Sunday February 23, but did not make contact with anyone since.
He captioned the photograph “modern slave” and added a comment a few minutes later saying “get out of jail free”.
