A young illustrator from Bristol enjoying the trip of a lifetime has had his life cut tragically short.
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After an extensive four-day search, in which police used every resource and available man power, Aslan King's body was found in Serpentine Creek at Princetown shortly after 10am on Tuesday.
With heavy hearts, police notified the 25-year-old's parents in the UK and asked two of his travelling friends to formally identify his body.
Sergeant Danny Brown, of Terang police, said it was not the result anyone was hoping for, but at least it would bring some closure.
"At least his parents know where he is now and we can send him home," Sergeant Brown said.
Mr King's family had been planning to fly to Australia to help with the search but had not left when his body was found.
His friends have been offered counselling.
"They will be spoken to again, mainly with regard to their health and their well-being," Sergeant Brown said.
"To have two friends formally identify a friend from a lot of years is traumatic on its own."
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Mr King's death will continue, he said.
Sergeant Brown said friends told police Mr King suffered some sort of medical episode, fell backwards on his chair and lost consciousness.
"He's gone stiff, had a seizure type thing and then come too and jumped up and taken off," Sergeant Brown said.
"We have the direction he took that night and we need to put together what has happened between here and there."
Sergeant Brown said Port Campbell Surf Life Saving Club members found Mr King.
"Port Campbell had a boat going up and down the Gellibrand and were patrolling some of the offshoots and they've located Mr King," he said.
He was about 1.5 kilometres from the camp site where he was last seen.
Sergeant Brown said from the minute police were notified Mr King was missing, they had "thrown everything at it".
He said police set up an operation centre at the Princetown Recreation Reserve and were helped by Victoria Police's air wing, mounted branch, the special solos unit, search and rescue, SES and volunteers trained in searching bushland.
Sergeant Brown said members of the state's drone unit were also en route when Mr King's body was found.
"The SES volunteers, they're an absolute credit to their organisation," Sergeant Brown said.
"Also their employers who allow them to come out and volunteer for four days straight deserve thanks."
Sergeant Brown said a report had been sent to the Coroner.
On Tuesday morning, Mr King's friends made an impassioned plea to the public to keep searching for him.
Hayley Cullis said they were visiting the Princetown camping ground each day for updates, conducting their own searches and talking to locals. She said Mr King's friends were desperate for answers.
"We just want anyone in the area to please search and spread the word."
Ms Cullis said she believed her friend may have been disorientated.
"He may just be very confused," she said.
Ms Cullis said Mr King's friends were extremely grateful to everyone who had helped. "We're really appreciative and everyone has been really helpful," she said.
Warrnambool police Acting Senior Sergeant Travis Barber said on Monday the search had expanded to cover a four kilometre radius.
During the initial stages the search had been focused within a 300 metre radius which was extended to one kilometre on Sunday.
The search started on Saturday morning and involved about 50 people.
By Sunday that number had almost doubled and included a Victoria Police helicopter, mounted police, police dogs, officers on off-road motorbikes and State Emergency Service volunteers.
Acting Senior Sergeant Barber said the search area involved clifftops and dense bushland.
He said there were concerns for the safety of searchers due to the high number of deadly Tiger snakes in the Princetown area.
"We do have concerns because there are a lot of snakes in the area and there have been sightings in the last two days in large numbers," he said.
Searchers were hampered by almost impenetrable swamp-like scrub and deep water of the Gellibrand River which almost surrounds the Princetown Recreation Reserve.
"There's wallaby tracks underneath the thick vegetation, so you have to get on your hands and knees to go through," Acting Senior Sergeant Barber said.
Police conducted an urban search of houses and sheds in the Princetown area, thinking that Mr King could have been disoriented and hiding.
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