Decomposed Body Found In Mexico Identified As Missing New York Stock Trader, Police Say

Harry Devert (Facebook)

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) – Mexican authorities said Thursday that genetic testing had confirmed that human remains found near a Pacific Coast beach town were those of a New York man who vanished while riding his motorcycle to Brazil for the World Cup.

Jose Villanueva, spokesman for the government of Guerrero state, said tests identified the decomposed remains as those of Harry Devert, a 33-year-old stock trader from Pelham, New York.

Villanueva said state prosecutors had turned the case over to federal prosecutors. That might suggest organized crime played a role in his death, since such crimes are federal offenses.

Devert, of Pelham, New York, was last heard from on Jan. 25 when he told a friend he was leaving the state of Michoacan to head for Zihuatenejo. That path would have taken Devert through an area troubled by drug-related violence.

Zihuatenejo is about 16 miles (27 kilometers) southeast of where the body and motorcycle were found.