Bone found in search for Dutch hiker vanished near Lake Como, Italy over a year ago

A jacket and a human bone have been found during the ongoing search for 31-year-old Dutch hiker Tobias, who has been missing since April of last year. He disappeared on a solo hike in the north of Italy near the Lake Como area, his family said. Authorities have not confirmed that the remains belong to him, RTL reports.

A man fishing near a river in the Baggio area discovered a jacket. Search teams later used drones in the same area and found a human bone. The exact origin of the remains has not yet been established. Tobias's family said the man recognized the jacket from local posters.

Tobias, from Amsterdam, went missing in April last year after setting out alone for a mountain hike. When he did not return, his girlfriend raised the alarm.

Multiple search operations were carried out in the Lake Como region over the past year, but none were successful. His family also placed posters of Tobias in the area where he was last seen. They also launched a fundraising campaign to finance a search effort by Rescue International during the summer.

A breakthrough came last week when the fisherman found the jacket along a river in the Baggio area. That is not far from where Tobias had been staying with his girlfriend and her child.

Local authorities were unable to continue the search in that area, prompting Rescue International to enter the site and secure the jacket. The team then deployed drones and located the human bone.

Forensic testing is now required to determine whether the bone belongs to Tobias.

Italian media reported that Tobias had been found dead, but his family stressed that this has not been confirmed.

In a statement, they said further investigation is still needed to determine whether the remains are his. They added that it was a shock that media were already naming him directly.