Body of American student Beau Solomon pulled out of Tiber River in Rome days after he disappeared

An American student who disappeared just hours after arriving in Italy on a student study programme has been found dead. The body of popular teenager Beau Solomon, who studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was pulled out of the Tiber River on 4 July, less than a week after he disappeared on 30 June.

His parents are believed to have flown to Italy to identify his body, Italian media reported, while his placement university, John Cabot University, released a statement confirming the 19-year-old's body had been found.

It said: "John Cabot University is deeply saddened to announce that the body of Beau Solomon, the missing American visiting student, has been found in the Tiber River. We express our most heartfelt condolences to the Solomon family and to all those who loved Beau."

Solomon arrived in Rome on Thursday 30 June, and went out for drinks with a friend in the Trastevere area of the city, before disappearing around 1am, The Local reported.

It is believed his friends were unaware of his disappearance until he did not show up to a class the next day – at which point they called the police.

The student's friends at home in the US and in Italy had launched an online appeal to help find the quarterback and cancer survivor, who is said to have had a bright future ahead of him.

Solomon's credit cards have been used since he disappeared, while Italian news site il Messaggero reported police stating Solomon was found with a wound to the head and a bloodstained shirt on.

An investigation has been launched into the death, with prosecutor Marcello Monteleone taking a lead on the case.