Police: Body of Missing American Student Found In Israel
The body of an American who went missing after hiking in the forest near Jerusalem in Israel has been found dead, authorities say.
23-year-old Aaron Sofer, an ultra-Orthodox Jew who was training for the seminary in Israel, went missing last Friday while he was on a hike with a friend on the forest that borders Jerusalem. Sofer and his family are originally from Lakewood, New Jersey, but Sofer had been living in Israel to finish his schooling.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri confirmed Friday that after an expansive search, authorities discovered and identified Sofer's body in the forest, near where he had originally been reported missing. Although Sofer's family previously said they felt their son's disappearance was "hostile," Samri told the Associated Press that no foul play is expected in the young man's death.
"There is no suspicion of foul play," Samri said. Israeli media outlets are suggested perhaps Sofer died of dehydration or took a fall while hiking.
When Sofer originally went missing last week, his family suggested that perhaps he had been kidnapped, just as three Israeli teens were kidnapped earlier this summer and found murdered in the West Bank, heightening tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.
"Something is not quite right. We have every reason to assume that something hostile happened. Bottom line: Where is he?" Shlomo Sofer, the young man's cousin, told Fox News earlier this week while Sofer's parents were flying out to Israel to aid in the search for their son.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has offered his condolences to the Sofer family, saying in a statement: "We add our thoughts and prayers to those of so many in New Jersey and around the world for this family and the community of Lakewood."
"Together, we can help them deal with this awful tragedy."
