Body of Tourist Missing in Bolivia Found

Bolivian police officers carry the body of the Canadian cyclist Simon Matthew Boily near the capital La Paz, Monday, Feb. 26, 2007. Boily's body was found in a mountain ravine and the police are waiting for the results of an autopsy to determine whether the 23-year-old tourist died in an accident or was the victim of a crime. (AP Photo/ Juan Karita) (Juan Karita - AP)

LA PAZ, Bolivia -- The body of a Canadian cyclist has been found in a mountain ravine more than a month after he set out on a treacherous road from the Bolivian capital, police said Monday.

The body of Simon Matthew Boily, 23, was found near the highway about 15 miles northwest of La Paz. His passport and return ticket to Canada were recovered, but his bicycle and other belongings were missing.

"We do not know the cause of death, and we'll wait and see the results of the autopsy," National Police Director Colonel Socrates Pillco Gomez said.

Boily left La Paz on the morning of Jan. 21 and planned to cycle down the narrow unpaved road known locally as the "Highway of Death," famous for its breathtaking views, hairpin turns and precipitous dropoffs.

Canadian officials said Boily had planned to travel to the popular tourist town of Coroico, about 30 miles northwest of La Paz, where he may have been seeking volunteer work.

The La Paz-Coroico highway has become a favorite with foreign cyclists even though traffic wrecks along it claim hundreds of lives each year.