A human bone has been found on a beach belonging to a 16-year-old who went missing nearly a year ago, police have said.
Matiyas Bekuretsion, 16, is presumed to have drowned after going into the water at Scarborough Beach, Perth, on the western coast of Australia.
He was swimming along with three other teenagers shortly after 8pm on November 23, 2020, when they got into difficulties and he didn't make it back to shore.
Police had launched an extensive land and marine search after the disappearance but officers were unable to find the missing boy.
Now, according to reports, a member of the public discovered what appeared to be a human bone at a nearby beach.
News.com.au reports that detectives have carried out forensic testing and have now linked the bone to the teenage boy who is presumed to have drowned.
A police statement said on Thursday: “A subsequent forensic examination confirmed this was a bone of the missing 16-year-old boy.
“This matter still remains with the coroner.”
The outlet writes that the teenager had moved to Perth a few years before the disappearance to live with relatives, but that his mum remained in Ethiopia.
According to a GoFundMe page at the time he vanished he had gone for a celebratory swim after completing exams, together with his cousin and family friends.
The organiser of the fundraiser wrote: “Unfortunately, they were caught in a rip and they began to struggle. Two of them, including Matiyas, managed to swim out of the rip.
“However, his cousin was still stuck in the rip. Matiyas saw this and heroically went back to help his cousin.
“They were both struggling to make it back and he then went under water with his final breath and lifted his cousin up. She was then saved by a local.”
In tributes Matiyas was described by his family as academically gifted, selfless and kind, and had aspirations to become a doctor.
