This photo provided by the Berlin police department shows a teenage boy who wandered into the city almost nine months ago saying he had been living for the last five years in the forest with his father.
The Associated Press
BERLIN - Mystery solved.
Berlin police say an English-speaking teenage boy who wandered into the city nine months ago saying his name was Ray and that he had been living in the forest for the last five years has been spinning a tale.
After publishing his picture earlier this week, police said Friday a former girlfriend identified him as a 20-year-old from the Netherlands who was reported missing last September.
When confronted with the details, police say the boy confirmed the story.
An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to release personal details, said the boy's real name is "Robin" but wouldn't give his last name.
It wasn't immediately clear what will happen now, but police say they are checking into whether he could be charged with fraud.
Previously, the boy told authorities that he was born June 20, 1994, but claims not to know his last name or where he's from.
He said his mother, Doreen, died in a car accident when he was 12 and after that he and his father, Ryan, took to the forest. He said they wandered using maps and a compass, staying in tents or caves overnight.
He told authorities that after his father died in August 2011, he buried him in the forest and then walked five days north before ending up in Berlin, and showed up at city hall.
Investigators had been unable to confirm any details about a fatal car accident that matches up with Ray's story and weren't able to find the body of the father - raising "serious doubts" about the story.
He was being taken care of by youth services, and was going to school. When he first appeared, Ray spoke English and a few words of German, but has picked up more German fast, police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf said.
He also quickly adapted to city life and technology, using a laptop and his cell phone with no problems.
"Everything gives the impression that he was not far away from civilization for years," Neuendorf said.
He had a complete set of teeth and no obvious dental work, and his hands, fingernails and teeth appear "well kept."
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