Israeli police announced that they have found the body of an American yeshiva student who went missing last week while hiking and do not suspect a crime was involved, media reports say.
The body of Aaron Sofer, 23, from New Jersey, was identified after being found earlier on Thursday, the Israeli media reported.
He went missing last Friday while walking in the forest not far from the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. This led to a massive search involving police, United Hatzalah, ZAKA, helicopters, canine units, hundreds of volunteers and the FBI.
Desperate to find their son, on Tuesday Aaron’s parents offered a NIS 100,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.Aaron had nine brothers and sisters, some of whom joined the search.
"Following a forensic examination, the body was identified as that of missing person Aaron Sofer. Tests showed that no criminal act was committed and the body will be transferred to the family in the coming hours," police said in a statement.
No further details on the circumstances of his death were disclosed immediately.
The body was found a few miles from where the body of Palestinian teen Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, was found July 2. Three Israelis were arrested in that slaying, which authorities said was a revenge killing after three Israeli teens were kidnapped and found dead in June.