Body found in Mexico may be that of missing American

MEXICO CITY - U.S. authorities are working with Mexican officials to determine whether a body found near a Pacific Coast beach town is that of a New York man who vanished while riding his motorcycle to Brazil for the World Cup.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Mark Johnson said Sunday both governments were working together to identify the remains, which police found Thursday along a road leading to Playa La Majahua in the state of Guerrero.

The remains, which were in an advanced state of decomposition, were taken to Zihuatenejo for genetic testing.

Near the body, police found a motorcycle that was the same model as that of Harry Devert, a 32-year-old stock trader who hoped to ride to South America to meet friends for the World Cup. The state attorney general's office said investigators had yet to confirm whether it is Devert's motorcycle.

Authorities also said they recovered a bag nearby containing 10 packets of what appeared to be marijuana and cocaine.

Devert, of Pelham, New York, was last heard from on Jan. 25 when he told a friend he was leaving the state of Michoacan to head for Zihuatenejo. That path would have taken Devert through an area troubled by drug-related violence.

Zihuatenejo is about 16 miles southeast of where the body and motorcycle were found.