The family of a Scottish cyclist who vanished close to Monaco has announced that he was discovered dead in Italy.
It’s thought that 38-year-old Steven Harper fell from a cliff in the Ventimiglia area in November while trying to bike from Dundee to India.
After being robbed of his bike and belongings in Nice, his brother Dale expressed his fear that the father of two had consumed a potentially fatal mushroom. Officials were helping his family, according to a Foreign Office spokesman.
Dale, 40, took a plane to the south of France after Steven texted the family to report he was feeling “unwell” after consuming the mushrooms while foraging close to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. It wasn’t until late December that he learned that his brother’s body had been discovered.
Dale claimed that hours after the messages were delivered, on November 23, Steven was observed falling, according to Italian investigators.
He was rescued by construction site workers and taken by helicopter from the cliffside overlooking Ventimiglia’s harbor. A short while later, it was declared him dead, and his body was kept in a Sanremo morgue.
He expressed his anxiety on social media that his brother had made a “fatal mistake” by consuming toxic mushrooms, although he did not specify the type of fungus he had consumed.
According to Dale, the cause of his death was a fall off a cliff, probably as a result of mushroom toxins causing confusion.
Steven was believed to be traveling through Europe along the Mediterranean route, having passed through Andorra, Spain, and France.
Reminiscences from “all over the world” had been sent to Dale, who said the news had “devastated” the family. “I am proud of him, but I am also really sad that he is no longer with us,” he continued.
