British consul try to identify mystery teenager from German woods

English-speaking youth found in Berlin after claiming he lived in forest for five years with recently deceased father British consular staff are working with police in Berlin trying to identify an teenager who walked out of a German forest speaking English and knowing only his first name. The boy, called Ray, presented himself to the Berlin authorities last week , saying he followed his compass north to reach the city after the death of his father with whom he had roamed through the woods for about five years. A Foreign Office spokesman said consular staff were assisting officials in Berlin but it was not yet known if the boy, thought to be 17 or 18, was a British national. Berlin police said they had approached Interpol to see if the boy matched any missing person reports. Officers will not know the results of the inquiry until Monday. Detectives are going over everything Ray has told them to establish a picture of his background and biography. The teenager told youth workers that his father, whom he called Ryan, had died two weeks ago and he had buried him in a shallow grave covered with stones. The boy said they began wandering in the woods after his mother, who he said was named Doreen, died. He told youth workers that he and his father never set up home but kept moving, staying in tents and huts in the woods. Claudia Elitok, of Berlin police, said: “He speaks fluent English and a few words in German. “He explained that the last five years were spent in the woods with his father, then his father died and he buried him. “He was walking for two weeks before getting to Berlin. “He has said what happened to his mother but I can’t go into that information. “He was found in good condition and is being taken care of by officials.” The teenager’s story is reminiscent of the “Piano Man”, German Andreas Grassl, who was found wandering the streets of Sheerness, Kent, in 2005. Despite Europe-wide appeals, no one knew who the 20-year-old was. For months he remained uncommunicative except for showing his accomplished pianist skills. Germany Europe guardian.co.uk

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