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The search for 20-year old Vangelis Yakoumakis, who disappeared on February 6, ended with the worst possible result: the boy was found dead. His uncle confirmed for Mega TV that the body, which was found this morning, is of his nephew.

The body was found in an advanced state of decomposition in a swampy area near a sports field, not far from lake Pamvotida, Ioannina and from the Ioannina dairy industry school, where the boy studied. He hailed from Rethymno, Crete.

Vangelis Yakoumakis disappeared on 6 February. A fruitless search followed. Until today, when his body was discovered by a resident of the area, who immediately informed the police. The boy’s uncle Georgios Viviedakis also arrived on the scene to identify the body. The coroner of Ioannina University Hospital now has to determine whether the death was due to suicide or crime. A knife was reportedly found on the scene.

Yakoumakis was allegedly subject to mental and physical abuse at his school. Some of the details surrounding this are quite shocking. His tormentors were students from his native island of Crete. It is being investigated whether the bullying is related to Yakoumakis’ disappearance and death.

It is a telling case when Vangelis ordered coffee at a bar, and his Cretan mates first hid the cup, and then poured a glass of water all over his head for everyone to see. Despite all this naughtiness, Vangelis was still hanging out with them.

Police believe that the reports about bullying should be treated with caution, because some of them are not corroborated, while others are contradictory.

According to what investigators have learnt from the testimonies of schoolmates, teachers, relatives, etc., Vangelis seems to have suffered from the bullying practices, but he was reluctant to talk about them. One of them was continuous neck slaps. The boys from Crete who bullied him are now saying they were just poking fun at him that didn't amount to bullying.

The 20-year-old continued to hang out with this company, without anyone forcing him to do so, as evidenced by his schoolmates. According to them, the harassment mainly took place during the last school year, and some of it was limited to only verbal abuse.

The report on the tragedy of the 20-year-old is in the hands of the prosecutor. Over the coming days, after the dismissal of the school's headmaster, the teachers’ board is expected to convene and impose sanctions against the students involved in Vangelis’ bullying.