Mexican authorities identify body of missing New York man

[July 18, 2014]  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican authorities said they had identified human remains found in two black plastic bags as a New York man who had disappeared in January while riding his motorcycle to Brazil for the World Cup, an official said on Thursday.

The badly decomposed remains that were discovered last week near the Pacific beach resort of Zihuatanejo were identified as Harry Devert by DNA tests, according to a spokesman for the Guerrero state prosecutors office.

Devert worked as a stock trader and said on his website that he had spent the last five years traveling. He had planned to ride across Mexico and Central America to reach Brazil in time for the recently concluded soccer World Cup.

He had last communicated with his girlfriend on Jan. 25 as he traveled to Zihuatanejo, saying military troops had escorted him out of a dangerous area, according to a Facebook page set up by his friends.

Devert had been traveling through rural areas of western Mexico where drug gangs control vast swathes of territory.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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