The lifeless body of a retired English language educator, who had gone missing for more than two weeks, was recently found in a remote area of Costa Rica.

According to a news report filed by rural reporter Eddis Gomez of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the departed teacher has been identified as Santiago Salguera Hernandez, who was 67 years old when he went missing in the village of Chimurria, part of the Upala canton of the Alajuela province.

Mr. Salguera was reported missing by relatives 22 days ago. Initially, law enforcement officers launched a search in the area near his home since he was last seen taking a customary walk around the lush forests of his community, an activity that he enjoyed in his retirement.

Local residents never gave up looking for Mr. Salguera, and they finally found him at the edge of a swampy pond. His body was in an advanced state of decay, but his brother was able to identify him by the attire he wore on his last day on this mortal coil.

It is believed that the departed English teacher may have become disoriented in the forest, which had grown denser in the days before his demise due to heavy rainfall. Mr. Salguera may have thought he was stepping on rain puddles, when in reality he may have sunk into a quagmire of peat bog underfoot, thus causing a drowning death. The Upala canton is home to Caño Negro, which is the largest wetlands preserve of Costa Rica. During the green (rainy) season, hikers are often warned about the sharp change in vegetation and bodies of water that may result caused by falling sheets of rain.

Mr. Salguera’s body was taken away from the wetlands by agents from the medical examiner’s section of the Office of Judicial Investigation (Spanish initials: OIJ). The Costa Rica Star herewith extends condolences to the Mr. Salguera’s family and to his former students.