THE remains of a Scots Outward Bound centre instructor who died while attempting to conquer the Matterhorn 34 years ago has finally been found.
Jonathan Conville who was based at the Outward Bound Trust at Loch Eil, near Fort William, went missing in 1979 when he was just 27 after he fell from the 14,700ft peak, in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy.
Searches for his body were unsuccessful, but now, melting glacial ice have finally revealed his remains, which will be reunited with his family.
They were discovered by Swiss mountain rescue helicopter pilot, Gerold Biner, after he found some abandoned equipment. He detected bones inside the clothing, and a name tag with the word 'Conville' on it.
The remains were sent to the laboratory of forensic pathologist Bettina Schrag, based in Sion, Switzerland, who found the family details after searching the name in Google and discovering the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust charity.
His sister, Melissa Conville, said: "As soon as I saw the email was from a Swiss pathology laboratory, I knew they'd found Jonathan."
Melissa and Jonathan's other sister, Katrina Taee, travelled to Switzerland to formally identify their brother's equipment and provide DNA samples.
Mrs Taee said: "It was poignant. There was a mummified hand, with nails and skin, and cupped, as if it was waiting to be held.
"It was 34 years on and I was holding my brother's hand. It was bittersweet but wonderful. It took ages for the DNA results to come through but they confirmed what we already knew."
Mr Conville's remains have since been cremated and the family are still deciding where to scatter his ashes.
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