German student missing since Oct 11 found dead off coast of Wakayama City

The body of a 21-year-old German university student who went missing on Oct 11 while on holiday in Wakayama Prefecture has been found off the coast of Wakayama City.

According to police, the Japan Coast Guard received a report at 2:50 p.m. on Nov 1 of a "person floating face-up" about 1.5 kilometers offshore from Wakayama City.

DNA testing revealed that it was that of Claudio Worm, the missing student, TV Asahi reported Tuesday.

When his body was found, he was wearing jeans but no clothes on the upper half of his body and no shoes, police said, adding there were no visible signs of injury on the body.

Police said an autopsy could not determine the cause of death due to the severity of the damage to the body.

Worm arrived in Japan on Sept 21 for a vacation. He first spent time in Tokyo and had been staying in Wakayama City since Sept 30. At around 8:30 p.m. on Oct 11, security camera footage showed him walking alone near Nankai Wakayama City Station.

On Oct 12, Worm’s passport and mobile phone were found in a multi-purpose toilet in the city. His suitcase was found in a coin locker at JR Wakayama Station on Oct 30.

Worm entered Japan for tourism in September and toured Tokyo before entering Wakayama Prefecture, but the last time he was heard from was on Oct 10, when he exchanged messages with his mother on social media.

German student missing since Oct 11 found dead off coast of Wakayama City

German student missing since Oct 11 found dead off coast of Wakayama City

German student missing since Oct 11 found dead off coast of Wakayama City

German student missing since Oct 11 found dead off coast of Wakayama City

German student missing since Oct 11 found dead off coast of Wakayama City