Bones find in Alps man case
Human remains found in France could be those of a missing Shropshire soldier who disappeared nearly three years ago while on a training exercise.
Blake Hartley vanished after operations with the Army in Chamonix in the French Alps on August 8, 2004.
Today it was revealed that a human thigh bone had been found in the river just south of Bonneville.
DNA tests are still taking place, but Mr Hartley's mother Sally Perrin, of Lea Cross, Shrewsbury, believes it could belong to her son.
The bone was found by Joseph Dancet, a French man who has made it his mission to find Mr Hartley, of Acton Burnell, near Shrewsbury. A French doctor verified the bone was human.
Mrs Perrin said just north of where the bone was found was a huge collection of debris which could hold the other remains.
The bone was taken to French police on January 2 after it was found on December 30. Mrs Perrin said it had now been taken to Annecy in the Rhone Alps to test for the length of time it has been in the water and for the age and sex.
It will then be sent to Lyons for more testing.
Mrs Perrin is hoping if the bone does belong to her son, the family can obtain some sort of closure and put him to rest.
Mr Hartley's father Mr Richard Hartley, of Golding Hall, said: "I was really shocked to receive the news that something had been found. It may of course not be anything to do with Blake and I do not believe we should jump to conclusions.
"The answer is it's somebody's thigh bone and the shocking thing is it does belong to somebody, but as to whose it is, it will be found out in approximately six weeks."
