The autopsy on the body of the missing Russian boy Maxim Vorobyev has determined that the teenager drowned, although further tests remain to be done.

Forensic sources said the autopsy, carried out yesterday morning, found no signs of violence on the fostered 16-year-old, who went missing on February 25 and whose body was found in the sea on Sunday morning.

In a short statement the police said the autopsy concluded that the boy's death was "consistent with drowning" but that the result was provisional since toxicology tests still need to be performed.

The body was spotted in the water near the fish market, Il-Pixkerija in Valletta on Sunday morning and was later retrieved by army divers. A Casio watch and a key attached to a keychain of a red footprint were identified as his by the devastated foster family soon after the badly decomposed corpse was brought ashore.

Maxim, an orphan, had been living with Grace and Albert Pace, in Valletta, for the past seven years. Mrs Pace's sister, Carmen Spiteri, was fostering Maxim's siblings, Alessia and Artem. The trio had been reunited after years living apart in different orphanages and had all been living in the same block of flats in St Ursula Street.

Irina Malikova, the director of the International Charity Society which was instrumental in bringing Maxim to Malta, said Mr Pace went to hospital yesterday to identify the body. She said that, although the corpse was in a bad state, he recognised his foster son through a mark on the body.

"When I saw him (Mr Pace) on Sunday evening he was distraught, crying all the time. But yesterday he found the strength to go and identify the body," Ms Malikova said.

However, the police said a dental records check still needed to be done to positively identify the boy. Forensic sources said it was probable the body had been at sea for the whole time he was missing - more than 10 days.

Ms Malikova said attempts were still being made to obtain permission from the Russian authorities to bury Maxim in Malta. The director of the orphanage where Maxim was once cared for was positive it would be granted but an official request still had to be made and Ms Malikova said she was hoping to receive a reply by tomorrow.

"Maxim has no family in Russia. There would be nobody to attend his funeral or visit his tomb. We need to give the Pace family, and his siblings, the chance to bury him here," she said.

Maxim was last seen in the evening on February 25. According to his family, on that fateful day the teenager had left the house to run an errand for his foster mother, taking some jelly to her brother's shop in Republic Street. The jelly was for Mrs Pace's uncle who was in hospital, but later passed away.

Somehow, the youngster never made it to the jewellery shop and did not return home, where Alessia was waiting for him to watch a movie together.

The Russian boy also left his mobile phone behind, leading the family to believe he never intended to leave. He had also been cooking dinner for his mother when he rushed out.

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