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A British trainee lawyer has been found dehydrated and exhausted 12 days after he mysteriously disappeared in Majorca.
Ben Ross, 26, arrived at the British consulate in the capital Palma on Monday, “exhausted and drained but alive”, according to a family friend, and was being treated for dehydration and exhaustion.
The mother of 26-year-old Felix Robinson, who flew to the Spanish island on Saturday in a desperate search to find him, “couldn’t be more relieved to see her son safe and sound… and to be able to hold him” when the couple were reunited. Her friend Carla Speight said The Independent“The most important thing that comes out of all this is that she got her boy back and that’s what’s important here.”
Mr Ross, from Golbourne, near Wigan, disappeared on July 10 after moving to the tourist town of Palma the previous month to visit friends and take a break from studying to become a lawyer.
He spoke to his mother every day, telling her he was having a great time and that he had landed a job at a green energy company on the island and a shared apartment.
However, after her belongings were allegedly stolen during a beach trip, a series of events led to her disappearance.
According to his family, he reported the theft of his phone, passport, iPad, wallet and keys to local police, but he got lost on the way home and was unable to return home until late. According to his family, he tried to break into his apartment, sparking an argument with his roommates on July 6.
Since then, he has reportedly been threatened with eviction and has struggled, for example, to get a new phone, due to local identification policies, which in turn made it difficult to access an online bank account.
Mr Ross’s mental health deteriorated rapidly due to stress, his family said.
The single mother-of-three said she has received support from the British Consulate in Majorca as well as the charity LBT Global, which is also helping the family of Jay Slater, the British teenager whose body was recently discovered in Tenerife after he went missing in June. The 19-year-old’s mother, Debbie Duncan, was among the relatives who travelled to the island to help after a major search operation was launched.
After flying to Majorca on Saturday, fearing for her son, Ms Robinson said she immediately began on-the-ground and door-to-door searches in Palma, asking local residents and tourists for information and any sightings of him.
Mr Ross was later found on Monday, although the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and what happened during the 12 days he was missing are not yet clear.
Ms Speight said: “Because he’s so exhausted, she doesn’t want to put too much pressure on him to find out the details because she’s just glad he’s safe.”
Mrs Robinson said: “I am incredibly grateful for all the help and support we have received. Everyone has been truly amazing. We are so relieved to have him back and are now focused on getting him back to full health and home safe and sound.”
Mr Ross is currently recovering and the family are preparing for their flight back to the UK before returning home this week.
Donations made to the GoFundMe set up by friends to help find Mr Ross will go to Andy’s Man Club, a charity that supports men’s mental health.
The Independent has contacted Greater Manchester Police and the Spanish National Police for comment.
