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A body was found this Sunday in a spot in Siles in Andalucía's Jaén province lying next to a bicycle. This has been confirmed by the Guardia Civil to SUR and, pending official confirmation, everything suggests that it could be 50-year-old Matt Opperman, the American resident of Malaga province origin who disappeared on 24 January after going cycling in the Sierra de Segura.
Although official identification is still pending, the president of the Spain Dh cycling club - and one of Opperman's closest friends - Andrés Tapia, told SUR that it was the missing man's own friends who found his body in the Calarejo Chico area, and were able to recognise both the man and his bicycle. "We knew he could not have survived, but we were not going to stop looking for him until we found him," his friend said.
The Guardia Civil launched a ground and air search operation on 5 February, when they became aware of the disappearance of Opperman, who had gone to spend a few days in a rural house in the Sierra area.
Spain Dh, a sports organisation to which Opperman had belonged for years, has since mobilised dozens of friends and hundreds of volunteers, many of them with knowledge of the terrain and specialised in rescue work. To do this, they had drawn up a map of the routes that the missing man used to take in the mountains.
"We have to thank all the people who have helped us to find him," adds Tapia, pointing out that they have had the support of canine units specialised in rescues from Olula del Río (Almeria) and several forest firefighters who have joined the search parties while off duty.
Opperman, 50, was born in the state of Colorado, although he had lived in the Churriana district of Malaga for many years. He worked as a professional mechanic and his friends emphasised his great love of sport, especially cycling and hiking.
As stated by his own friends, he has always been one of the most active cyclists in Spain Dh. "He was a nice guy, he enjoyed himself, he was sporty, healthy... he really enjoyed practising sport in a group; even though he didn't understand much Spanish, he joined in with everything," added Tapia.
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