Heat wave reveals body of missing Canadian in the Alps

Tuesday, September 29, 2015, 7:38 PM - A warmer-than-usual summer in Europe caused glacial melt that revealed the body of a Canadian who has been missing for 35 years.

Sonja Barnes of Toronto says her brother Gregory Barnes vanished during a ski trip in the Italian and Swiss Alps in 1980.

Authorities conducted extensive searches following the incident but were unable to find him.

According to the CBC Gregory, who was 24 years old at the time, was heading to the Bernina mountain range with a group.

On the way, he had trouble with a binding and returned to his hut to fix it.

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When he tried to catch up with the group he made a wrong turn, falling into a crevice.

"It's been a bit of a mystery," Sonja told the CBC.

"I hung onto hope for an awfully long time because there was no body, there was no trace."

Earlier this month Barnes received a call from Italian police, notifying her that her brother's body had been found.

Glacial melt uncovered his remains in a crevice, along with a passport confirming his identity.

Sonja plans to have her brother's remains returned so he can be buried in Canada.

Source: CBC News