Esther Dingley’s remains will be released by French police “soon” to allow her family to scatter ashes “in places close to her heart”.

       Ms Dingley disappeared whilst hiking alone in the Pyrenees last November, and her partner, Dan Colegate, spent months looking for her after she vanished.

       The 37-year-old’s remains were discovered last week near her route. Police suspect she slipped and fell to her death.

       On Thursday, Ms Dingley’s family said a small, private cremation would be held close to the mountains she loved once her body has been returned to them by the authorities.

       A source at the medico-legal facility in Toulouse, where an autopsy was carried out, said Ms Dingley “will be returned to her family soon”.

       Forensic specialists linked to the Rangueil Hospital in the French city said enquiries were still ongoing because of their “highly complex” nature.

       Evidence that confirmed Ms Dingley’s identity included DNA and personal possessions, while the position of the body at the bottom of a sharp incline in the Pyrenees pointed to a “long fall and then instant death,” said the source.

       “Extremely complex work on a very damaged body is not instant”, the source added, but said the body “will be released soon”.

       In a statement, Ms Dingley’s family said she was “found among the mountains she loved so much”.

       They added: “Once Esther is returned to the family, a small, private cremation will be held close to the Pyrenees before Esther’s ashes are scattered in a number of places closest to her heart.

       “In lieu of cards and flowers, the family asks that people consider a donation to the charity Sightsavers who work to tackle preventable blindness around the world. This is a charity Esther long supported in line with her commitment to sharing the beauty of our planet.”

       Ms Dingley and Mr Colegate met at the University of Oxford. They lived in Durham before setting off travelling around Europe in a campervan six years ago.