Body of missing Surrey teen found in woods

On March 19, Oliver Strode was reported missing by his family. The 17-year-old Surrey boy went missing shortly after it was announced that A-Level examinations had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown. 11 days after his disappearance, police discovered a body in Alice Holt Forest. The body is believed to be that of Oliver. Even though formal identification remains pending, the search had been called off.

Surrey Police tweeted news of the grim discovery. The tweet stated that a body believed to be that of Oliver has been located in the forest. While the search for the teen has ended, an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of death. Police do not seem to believe that Oliver's death occurred under suspicious circumstances or that any assailant was involved.

Oliver's family will be receiving support from the police. Formal identification of the body, as well as the post mortem examination, will help the police piece together the events leading to the teen's death.

Since the cancellation of the A-Level exam, Oliver was worried that his mock exam results would be counted for A Level qualification. The teenager's father, Robert Strode, claimed that Oliver had not performed well in the mock exam. He had been counting on the final A-Level papers to score better. Oliver was evidently disturbed about his grades when he went missing after the last day of school before the lockdown.

Robert told The Sun that Oliver wanted to be a survivalist. Inspired by shows like the ones hosted by Bear Grylls, Oliver often created his own survival videos. He had shot multiple videos on how to build dens and start fires in case of emergencies. The search history on his computer showed that he had searched tips on how to find food in the forest before he went missing. Robert speculates that Oliver had gone to the woods to try and live there during the lockdown.

Last Friday, Oliver's bike, helmet, and jacket were discovered in the forest. Surrey police had intensified the search since the discovery. After the weekend, the teen's body was eventually found.