Mother hopeful for missing hiker

Jeffery Moore (centre) went missing in August 2003

The mother of a hiker who went missing in the Austrian Alps last summer has vowed not to give up hope of finding him.

Five months after Jeffery Moore's disappearance, his mother, Marion, remains determined that she will make contact with her son.

A major mountain search was launched when Mr Moore, of Webb Road, Portchester, Hampshire, disappeared after setting off from the mountain resort of Heiligenblut on Monday, 25 August.

His mother said of the continuing efforts to find the 37-year-old: "We are just following up any leads.

"He is registered with missing persons and they put him in the Big Issue.

"We have been contacting missionaries."

An intensive search for Mr Moore by local police - involving more than 100 officers, a helicopter and search dogs - was called off after three days.

Seven of Mr Moore's friends also travelled out to Heiligenblut to see if they could solve the mystery of what happened to their fellow hiker, who had been on holiday with his fiancée, Marilyn Burt.

Heiligenblut is the closest town to the highest mountain in Austria, the Grossglockner peak, and is used as a starting point for hikes.