Harvey Christian went missing in January 2023 after “planning to climb Ben Nevis” and never returning
Credit: Police Scotland
NEED TO KNOW
- After human remains were discovered on the U.K.’s tallest mountain, police suspect that the body could belong to a 42-year-old hiker who went missing three years ago
- Harvey Christian was reported missing on Jan. 27, 2023, after he planned to hike the mountain and never returned
- “The remains have yet to be formally identified, but the family of Harvey Christian, 42, who was reported missing from the Fort William area in January 2023, has been informed,” police said
The remains of a 42-year-old hiker may have been found three years after he went missing.
On Saturday, Feb. 28, human remains were discovered on the south side of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom. While formal identification of the remains has not yet taken place, per the BBC, Police Scotland has informed the family of hiker Harvey Christian of the discovery, three years after Christian went missing from the Fort William area while planning to hike the mountain.
“There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances, and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal,” a spokesperson for Police Scotland told The Press and Journal.
Christian was reported missing on Jan. 27, 2023, and his car — a black Vauxhall Crossland X — was found parked in a layby near the mountain soon after.
Credit: Police Scotland
"We believe Harvey was planning to climb Ben Nevis on Friday, but he has not returned to his car and concerns are growing for his welfare,” Sgt. Brian Heriot said at the time, per the BBC. "We don't know what he was wearing or what equipment he had with him. His most likely route to Ben Nevis would have been from the Glen Nevis visitor centre.”
Although harsh weather made the search difficult at the time, mountain rescue teams, search dogs and a coastguard helicopter searched for the missing hiker when conditions allowed.
“The winds were gusting up to 80 mph on Sunday and it was well below zero with the wind chill,” Donald Patterson, the head of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, told The Times of the “horrendous conditions” that overlapped with their search in February 2023. “The snow line is at 800 metres, and in the freezing conditions it became quite hard and dangerous underfoot.”
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Credit: Getty
He also claimed at the time that Christian was spotted high up on the mountain before his disappearance.
“We know he was on the mountain because he was seen at the Zig Zags [where the main ‘tourist path’ criss-crosses the western side during the start of the approach to the summit,” Patterson told the outlet. “We need to explore some of the lower gullies, and the drones will help us do that. We will continue to do our best to try and find him.”
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