Body suspected to be that of Rye Hunt found near Rio

A body, possibly that of an Australian backpacker missing in Brazil, has been located on a remote beach near Rio De Janeiro.

Rye Hunt sparked a search after he left friend Mitchell Sheppard at the airport to grab a coffee but never returned on May 21.

It has since been reported that he may have taken a hallucinogen before he disappeared.

He was later reported to have briefly stayed at a Copacabana apartment, leaving behind some personal items.

Last week, Brazilian authorities called off a 72-hour sea search after a fisherman spotted a body floating off Rio’s coast in clothes similar to those worn by Mr Hunt when he vanished.

Then locals found a body on the Guaratiba beach in the district of Marica, 50 kilometres from the centre of Rio, on Wednesday local time.

The remains are yet to be formally identified.