Esther Dingley: British hiker's DNA and dental record to be sent to France after bones found

The mum of missing British hiker Esther Dingley said her daughter's DNA sample and dental records will be sent to French police after possible human remains were found near where she went missing.

Esther Dingley, 37, had been walking by herself in the Pyrenees mountain range near the Spanish and French border and was last seen on November 22.

Her mother Ria Byrant, 74, told The Sunday Times that French police asked for the dental records after they found possible human bones in the mountains.

She said: “The dentist is sending a scan of Esther’s teeth. We have to send it to the consulate in Bordeaux.”

Bryant said she would also give a DNA sample to establish if the remains were those of her daughter.

The mum told the newspaper none of her belongings were found and said it is "upsetting that it's not clear and definitive".

Charity LBT Global, which represents Ms Dingley's family, announced on Facebook on Saturday that it was aware of "the discovery of what may be human remains close to the last known location of Esther Dingley”.

The Daily Mirror reported Spanish police sources had said “human bones” were found on Friday near where the Durham woman disappeared.

The paper also quoted French police chief Jean Marc Bordinaro as saying: “We cannot say anything at the moment because the discovery of the bones is too recent and they must be properly analysed”.