A youth who turned up in Berlin last year saying he had been staying in woods for years is a Dutch 20-year-old who was living in the Netherlands until last September, German police say.There is a controversy over this boy.
They say his Dutch stepmother identified him from police photos. His real name is said to be Robin.
He called himself "Ray" and was dubbed the "forest boy" by German media.
He had said he and his father had lived in the woods for five years, following the death of his mother in a car crash.
"Ray" told police he had left the forest after his father died and he had buried the body.
But officers failed to locate the remains and said they had doubts about the story.
It is not clear why he left the Netherlands and ended up in Berlin.
He spoke only English and a few words of German at the time, but quickly picked up the language.
German news agency DPA says he was last seen in the Dutch town of Hengelo in September - just days before he surfaced in Berlin. A Dutch school friend told Dutch television that the man had "personal problems".
He said he left the woods after his father died and he buried his body.
They said they been unable to find his father's body, or any records of a fatal car crash that corresponded with Ray's account of his mother's death.
Police estimate that Ray is between 16 and 20 years old. They said that, apart from a series of small scars on his face, he appeared to be in good health.
After a brief period with Berlin's emergency youth services, Ray was placed in an institution for assisted living and assigned a legal guardian.
Officials said he has quickly picked up the German language and adapted to city life and technology, using a laptop and his mobile phone comfortably.
The boy said his father told him to go north after he died to find civilization and the boy said he and his father did not set up a home, but slept in a tent, and huts they found in the woods.
Police say the boy claims he followed his compass and went northwards after his father died, reaching Berlin.
The boy has been medically examined and is physically healthy.
News articles :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18456812http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18424993http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14950656TL;DR kid apparently lived in the forest for 5+ years
CONTINUING ON, BOY RAN AWAY FROM HOME AT AGE OF 20
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/german-forest-boy-dutch-report-085258234.html
