"He was found away from the usual walking trails"
An inquest heard that an “adventurous” hiker was found dead on the side of a mountain in Scotland a year after he was reported missing.
Humza Khan is believed to have fallen while walking in the Scottish highlands but it took a year before his body was found.
A couple walking away from the “usual trails” discovered Humza’s remains on Beinn Tarsuinn, a mountain range in Wester Ross, Scotland, on July 8, 2023.
The 29-year-old was reported missing after his worried parents could not contact him for several days.
Due to the time taken to find Humza, a post-mortem was unable to provide a cause of death and at Birmingham Coroner’s Court, it was recorded as “unascertained”.
Assistant Coroner Ian Dreelan said: “It is impossible to say even on a balance of probabilities what possibly happened.
Mr Dreelan offered his sincere condolences to the family for the “very tragic loss in this case”, along with the “time it took for them to get closure in this matter”.
The family had previously described Humza as “adventurous” with a “great love of the outdoors”.
A statement by Humza’s father, Israr Khan, was read to the inquest:
“Humza went missing while hiking in the Scottish Highlands in June 2022, we reported him missing after we were unable to contact him for several days.
“We were told by the Scottish authorities his remains were found on Beinn Tarsuinn in July 2023.
“He was found away from the usual walking trails which appears to explain why he was not found sooner and it is thought Humza fell while walking in the area.”
Humza went to Scotland on June 2, 2022, and spoke to his parents the next day.
On June 23, West Midlands Police received a “medium risk” missing persons report and Police Scotland regarded it as “high risk”.
On July 8, 2023, a couple found Humza’s remains in a valley on the north side of Beinn Tarsuinn, the court heard.
A forensic anthropologist and archaeologist recovered the body, with his bag and jacket next to him.
Mr Dreelan told the court: “The deceased, Humza Ahmad Khan, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2019, went hiking in the Scottish Highlands in June 2022.
“He was subsequently reported missing by his family who had been unable to contact him.”
“Police Scotland were made aware by West Midlands Police on June 23, 2022, and he was graded a high risk missing person.
“On July 8, 2023, a couple out hillwalking discovered human remains in a valley on the northern side of Beinn Tarsuinn.”
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