Dundee cyclist missing in France may have eaten lethal mushroom
- Published
Steven Harper had his bike stolen during a robbery in Nice
The brother of a cyclist missing in France fears he may have eaten a "lethal" mushroom while foraging.
Steven Harper was attempting to pedal from Dundee to India when he lost contact with family on 23 November near Monaco.
The 38-year-old was robbed of his bike and passport in the south of France and texts home told how he felt sick after ingesting the fungi.
His brother Dale has flown to Nice in order to lead the search.
Steven, who taught English as a foreign language online, uploaded a series of images to Facebook in the days before his disappearance.
His last post was "geotagged" to a hilltop overlooking Roquebrune-Cap-Martin between the principality and the town of Menton.
He had travelled through Andorra, Spain and France before being attacked in Nice, when his bike was stolen along with most of his possessions.
Dale - who has not seen his brother since he left Dundee in 2022 - said Steven's sister-in-law raised the alarm when she received messages claiming he had boiled and eaten mushrooms he found nearby.
Dale, right, has not seen Steven, left, since he left Dundee on his trip to India in 2022
He said: "Steven said he had been throwing up but he felt better.
"But it was radio silence from then. No one has been able to get a hold of him since and we don't know if he is living with a debilitated body, if something has happened with the mushrooms he ate, where he slept.
"He had almost everything taken from him in Nice. It's not unusual not to see Steven for long periods, but he had an itinerary and gives pretty regular updates on his movements."
'Absolutely devastating'
Steven had been staying in Bastide-de-Serou prior to travelling along the south coast, where he had planned to cross into Italy.
It is believed he had a sleeping bag and a few other personal items with him that he managed to keep from the robbery last month.
Dale, 40, said both the French and Italian police had been contacted, while authorities in Monaco were also made aware.
He said it was unclear what kind of mushrooms Steven had eaten.
Steven's last photo posted on Facebook showed the hilltop overlooking Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Dale said the impact had been "devastating" for his family back home in the run-up to Christmas.
"Coming here was the first step in finding him, but it is all very confusing right now," he told BBC Scotland News.
"I have just been crying uncontrollably at times. Me and Steven didn't see each other all the time but we were still very close.
"We think he could have wandered into Italy. He might have been confused. We just don't know at the moment."
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "We are supporting the family of a British man and are in contact with the local authorities."