(Image source: Berlin Police )

BY KERRY LEARY

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

 

He’s known as “Forest Boy” — a teenager who made national headlines when he wandered out of the woods in Berlin nine months ago, claiming to have lost his identity. Friday, his story was back in the press and it turns out, the whole thing was a hoax.

His real name is Robin Van Helsum and he’s a 20-year-old Dutch citizen. He showed up in Berlin last September, claiming his name was Ray and that he had buried his father in the forest- but he couldn’t lead police to the burial site. CNN reports.

“He said that he had been walking the woods for five years with his father- they had been living in caves and in a tent- after the death of his mother in a car crash when he was twelve.”

German authorities launched an international investigation to try to find Ray’s family. They finally posted a picture of him to see if anyone could identify him — and his friends in the Netherlands saw it right away. ABC reports — some wilderness experts were skeptical of Ray’s tale from the get-go.

REPORTER: “His tent and sleeping bag were suspiciously clean for a guy who spent years in the wild.”
WILDERNESS EXPERT: “No pot, no knife, no way to make a fire, no rifle, no ammunition, the skill level it would take to pull that off would probably eclipse my own.”

The Telegraph reports Van Helsum isn’t mentally ill — he just wanted to start a new life. But that new life could mean fraud charges.

"He has been looked after by German authorities since September. He received money, clothes, housing and education and all because he told us lies. There may well be a case of fraud."

Van Helsum’s father passed away at home in the Netherlands while his son was in Berlin. Van Helsum’s stepmother identified him — but “Forest Boy” doesn’t seem to want to return home.