Chania (Greece) - A 20-year-old German tourist has been missing on the Greek vacation island of Crete since February - now there is no hope of finding him alive.

On Friday, his sister shared the sad news in an emotional Instagram post: 20-year-old Johann W. from Baden-Württemberg had set off alone to the famous Samaria Gorge to cope with his grief over the loss of his mother, who died of cancer in October 2024.

But what began as an attempt to put his grief behind him took a tragic turn.

Johann disappeared without a trace. He also failed to return his rental car and did not respond to phone calls.

Drones, helicopters and dogs were used to search for the young man, but after three weeks without success, the hope of finding him alive dwindled. The search was finally called off on March 7.

In the post, his sister Teresa shared the moving story of Johann, who devotedly cared for his mother, who was suffering from lung cancer, in her final months.

At the hospice, the 20-year-old had a bed placed right next to her because he didn't want her to spend her last days alone.

When his mother finally died, Johann found solace in running to cope with his deep grief.

But then he was drawn to Greece, where he wanted to enter the famous Samaria Gorge alone and never returned.

Nevertheless, Teresa is infinitely grateful for the support she has received over the past few weeks. Now she only hopes that one day her brother's body can be found and brought back home.