A heartbreaking discovery has shaken a small community after a 17-year-old boy who vanished during a walk was found dead seven days later.

The teen, dressed in black shorts and a red T-shirt, went missing after heading to the suburbs to meet a friend. When he stopped responding to calls, his worried family alerted police, launching an intensive search involving rescue teams, volunteers, drones, and divers.

Despite their efforts, nothing turned up—until the seventh day, when a searcher spotted a scrap of red fabric deep in a swampy, wooded area near an old dam.

There, hidden among the reeds, the boy was found lifeless, his leg caught in a rusty, long-abandoned hunting trap. Signs of a desperate struggle surrounded him—broken branches, blood, and torn grass. He had fought to free himself until the end.

Rescuers were devastated. Even the seasoned officers who found him couldn’t hold back tears. One whispered that the area had been skipped early on, as no one thought he’d be there.

Without phone service, and quickly losing strength from blood loss and shock, his calls for help went unheard.

The tragedy has rocked the entire region. Flowers now line the dam, a quiet tribute to a life lost too soon—and a painful reminder of how close he had been all along.