Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/707940
5 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 27 JULY 2016 News Family thanks Maltese for 'love and kindness' CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 They went on to point out that the people of Malta have been gen- erous with their time and their compassion. "We are overwhelmed by the support we have received and the fact so many people want- ed to get behind our search for Mike. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you. We will never forget the love and kind- ness we have received." The Mansholt family had been using his personal Facebook account to help in the search. His timeline, which would nor- mally be set to 'friends only' and would therefore be unavailable to those who had not befriended him on the social network site, was now f looded with photos of the 17-year-old. Some pictured the athletic teenager on his bike, others depicted Mansholt with his friends. Similarly, his cover photo had been updated to show four photos of him in Malta, with a short message reading "We are the family of the missing Mike Mansholt. We use his Facebook account to search for him." Additionally, his family had also set up a 'Where is Mike' Facebook page in order to eas- ily share f lyers and information about search efforts, as well as to be contacted quickly if any new information surfaced. As soon as the corpse found on Tuesday was confirmed to be Mansholt's, the family made an official announcement on the 'Where is Mike' page, express- ing their pain and that in a few days his body would be trans- ported to Germany. The family reiterated that he would always be with them. Subsequently, the comment section on that post was f looded with messages in both English and German by people offering their condolenc- es to the family. Speaking at a press conference earlier yesterday, Mike's brother Daniel said that Mike was a keen sportsman who never backed away from a challenge. "It is not unusual for him to go for days without contacting his family," he said, adding that he was convinced his brother was injured somewhere in Malta. "The police and my family are not enough people to search the whole island," Mansholt said, visibly moved. "We cannot leave any stone unturned," he said, making an impassioned plea for further as- sistance. It is thought that the teenager was mountain biking around Rabat and the Dingli area on the day he disappeared. An eyewit- ness account saw someone fit- ting Mansholt's description at approximately 11.30am, close to Dingli Cliffs. Prior to the grim discovery in Dingli, the family urged mem- bers of the public who might know anything about the young man's whereabouts or may have seen him or the black and blue Lombardo 270 mountain bike he was riding, to come forward with information or to help with the search. Lisa Rohlfs, who assisted the family in the search, explained that the bicycle, which was meant to be returned on Thurs- day, 21 July, had become an es- sential part of the investigation, as it might indicate where and whether the teenager was in any difficulty. "I am convinced that the Mal- tese public will help us in this search, and there are already around 25 people assisting in private searches being headed by Andrew Warrington," she said. The police search concen- trated on Mellieha and the area between Dingli and Zurrieq, in- cluding a land and sea search of the Dingli Cliffs area. It was al- so expanded to include the area between Golden Bay and Dingli Cliffs and the surrounding area. Police bringing up the body of the teenager, Mike Mansholt (inset, pictured in Malta) from Dingli cliffs, and (bottom of the page) the 'Where is Mike' Facebook page PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW TABONE/MEDIA.LINK