Nearly nine months after 18-year-old British geology student George Smyth disappeared during a solo hiking trip in Romania, authorities have found a body believed to be his.

Smyth, a University of Bristol student from Shropshire, went missing on November 23, 2025, while hiking through Romania’s Bucegi Mountains. He was believed to be travelling from Poiana Brașov toward Bran, the village famous for its connection to the legendary Dracula’s Castle.

Before disappearing, Smyth contacted emergency services and reported that he was suffering from extreme exhaustion and hypothermia. Mountain rescuers attempted to locate him, but the conditions were exceptionally dangerous, with heavy snowfall, strong winds and poor visibility making the search extremely difficult.

Search teams later recovered some of his belongings, including camping equipment and food, but Smyth himself could not be found. Search operations involving mountain rescuers, drones, helicopters and search dogs continued, with some efforts repeatedly disrupted by severe weather and difficult terrain.

After months without answers, Romanian authorities recently discovered a body in the Bucegi Mountain region. Documents found with the body identified the deceased as an 18-year-old British man, and Romanian authorities notified Avon and Somerset Police in the United Kingdom.

Police have said the body is believed to be George, and his family has been informed. However, formal identification has not yet been completed. Forensic examinations are being carried out before arrangements can be made to return the body to the United Kingdom.

George’s family described the news as devastating but said the end of the long search has finally allowed them to begin saying goodbye. They expressed gratitude to the Romanian mountain rescue team, UK police and the University of Bristol for their efforts throughout the ordeal.

The disappearance had drawn attention because Smyth was travelling alone and had not told his family about the trip. His final known movements placed him in an isolated mountainous area where rescuers said he was already suffering from hypothermia and physical exhaustion.

For nearly nine months, his family had been left without knowing whether he was alive or where he might be. Now, although the discovery has brought an end to that uncertainty, important questions remain about what happened to the young student after his emergency call.

Until the formal identification and forensic investigation are completed, authorities have not publicly established the exact cause or circumstances of George’s death.

For his family, however, the long search has entered a heartbreaking final chapter: bringing George home and finally saying goodbye.