A 15-year-old boy who had been missing for over 100 days has been found dead near his school in China.

Hu Xinyu had mysteriously vanished from his school in Yanshan County, Jiangxi Province, on 14th October 2022.

His disappearance caught attention nationwide, with local residents, government workers and police conducting a joint search.

But now locals have reported they found a body hanging from a tree in the nearby woods on 28th January, according to local media.

After analysing DNA samples, it was confirmed that the body belongs to Hu, police confirmed the next day (29th Jan).

A voice recorder that had also been found at the scene has been seized by police.

The mysterious disappearance of the teen had sparked suspicions, with police excluding the possibility of him dying inside the school after confirming that he had left the school grounds before he vanished, local media reported.

Reports say the teen did not take his ID, cash or mobile phone with him, but only the voice recorder.

But his family now raises suspicions about the quality of the search, mentioning the fact that Hu’s body was found in the woods behind his school, local media reported.

An unnamed family member was quoted in local media as saying: “It’s quite strange that both rescuers and Hu’s family went to search after Hu was reported missing as the area is so close to his school, but nothing was found at that time.”

The cause of death has not been determined yet.

The investigation continues.