Illa confirms that the body found in the sea of Sitges is that of the minor who went missing in Granollers

BarcelonaThe Mossos d'Esquadra are investigating the discovery of a corpse floating in the sea between Sitges and Castelldefels, near Port Ginesta, which all indications point to being the lifeless body of the minor who went missing in Granollers. Sources consulted by the ARA indicate that the corpse, which is in an advanced state of decomposition, was wearing clothing that would match that of Rami, the twelve-year-old boy with autism who was last seen almost two weeks ago in Granollers during the floods. The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, confirmed this Thursday morning that it is indeed the missing minor and has sent a message of condolence to the family and friends.

Although the color of the clothes had changed due to the days it had been in contact with water, on the t-shirt there was a specific inscription that Rami's relatives have confirmed is the same as the one on the t-shirt the boy was wearing the day he left his home at dawn. Everything points to him running away scared by the thunder and lightning of the storm, a situation that had already happened before. The features of the body also match those of the boy.

However, although all the evidence points to it being Rami, according to sources consulted by ARA, there is still no definitive confirmation through DNA tests. After the discovery of the body, which was spotted by a fisherman who called 112, the minor's circle was notified this Wednesday night and his autopsy was performed this Thursday morning. As ARA has learned, the autopsy concluded that he died by drowning. Now, efforts are being made to collect DNA samples from the body to compare them with those of his relatives. For the moment, this genetic confirmation could not be done with fingerprints.

The Granollers City Council has already decreed a day of mourning and held a minute of silence at the Porxada square, which was joined by dozens of citizens, as well as representatives of the emergency services who have participated in the search for the boy these past few days. The council has “deeply” lamented the death of the minor and has expressed "all support and warmth to the family".

Eleven days of searching

With this Wednesday's tragic discovery, an intensive search operation by firefighters, police, family members, and hundreds of volunteers who had been trying to find Rami around Granollers, along the Besòs riverbed, and up to the river mouth has also concluded. The fact that the search reached the sea was the worst-case scenario for the firefighters, as it opened up a possibility that has ended up being confirmed: that first the floods and then the sea currents carried the body to the Garraf coast.

Rami left his home early Sunday morning, and since then he was only seen again that same night, approximately an hour later, entering the reception of a hotel in Granollers and quickly leaving again. He is a boy with autism who had already left home on other occasions, up to four times. The volunteers and missing persons search associations that have helped in this case have also been placing posters at bus stops, metro stations, and train stations, including those in Barcelona, as Rami really liked this type of transport. In fact, one of the times he went missing, he took a train to Barcelona.

With this case, there are now four fatalities recorded in the heavy downpours that flooded various points of the Catalan coast two weekends ago. In fact, there is still one person missing. It is a boy who was observing a ravine in Pineda de Mar and who, according to two witnesses, slipped and was swept away by the flood. According to what ARA has learned, although no one filed a report at first, it has now been filed.