FOREST BOY HOAX: IDENTIFIED AS RUNAWAY

NationalEnquirer.com

The mysterious “FOREST BOY’ who appeared out of nowhere to baffle the world has been identified as a Dutch runaway.

The weird “boy” who told German police he had lived in the woods like a fairy tale Tarzan for more than five years has been identified as Robin van Helsum, from Hegelo in the Netherlands.

His stepmother spotted the lad in a pix issued by Berlin cops.

"We are now 100% sure that we are dealing with the 20-year-old boy who has been identified beyond doubt by his stepmother," a Hengelo police spokeswoman told Die Welt. "We are very happy that he has been found."

Last September Van Helsum appeared on the steps of Berlin's town hall carrying a knapsack and a two-man tent last September.

He said his name was Ray, and he had lived in a German forest for five years with his father, sleeping in caves and tents.

Van Helsum told cops his father had died the previous month and had buried him.

The father had allegedly told his son to "walk north until you reach civilization and then ask for help". He claimed his mother had died in a car accident.

But police didn’t buy the boy’s story as various elements of his yarn just did not add up.

Law enforcement battled with him for months to allow them to take a photo of him and circulate it.

Once the image was transmitted worldwide, it took little time to ID the tale telling scamp.

"If his story is invented and he deliberately took us for a ride, he could be liable for the costs," a German police spokesperson said.