By Dana Datu, News Deputy Editor
Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that Romanian local authorities located a body in the region where George Smyth, a first-year Geology student at the University of Bristol, first disappeared.
While no formal identification has been made, the body is believed to be that of the 18-year-old.
Forensic enquiries are taking place, while efforts are being made to transfer the body back to the UK.
Smyth first went missing on November 23, 2025, while solo-hiking in Romania’s Bucegi mountain range. He reportedly left the UK without notifying his family.
The 18-year-old was last believed to have been en route to Bran, the site of Count Dracula’s castle in popular legend.
However, extreme weather conditions led Smyth to contact rescuers from Țigănești, a nearby village, when he reported feeling extreme physical exhaustion and hypothermia.
Cara Hene
Rescuers pinpointed his location in a ‘very isolated and hard-to-access mountain area’. However, rescue efforts were halted for the remainder of November due to hazardous conditions.
The search resumed in December, with Smyth’s whereabouts unknown until now.
Smyth’s family thanked the Romanian mountain rescue services for their eight-month rescue efforts despite ‘very difficult and often dangerous conditions’.
They also thanked Avon and Somerset Police and the University of Bristol for support.
Smyth’s family ended their public statement saying:
‘Although this latest news is incredibly painful, the torture of waiting is finally over, so we can now focus on bringing George home and saying goodbye. We would appreciate privacy while we continue to come to terms with this loss.’
A University of Bristol spokesperson said:
‘Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with George’s family and friends at this terribly difficult time. Though he had only been at Bristol for two months – studying Geology – he was enjoying his studies and was clearly passionate about his chosen subject.
Since he was reported missing in November last year, we have kept in close contact with his family and have provided support to his friends. George’s loss will be deeply felt across our close-knit university community.’
Featured image: Smyth family
