Rye Hunt: Body found outside Rio in search for missing Australian traveller, family says.

The family of missing Hobart man Rye Hunt says it has been told a body has been found 25 kilometres outside Rio de Janeiro.

A statement released by the family overnight said there was no confirmation the body was that of the missing 25-year-old, who had not been seen since May 21 when he left his friend at Rio de Janiero airport.

The family said local authorities were recovering the body at Marica, and that it appeared to have come from the water.

Police said they would carry out DNA tests to find out whether the body was that of the missing traveller.

The family said it was “disgusted that photos of the body have been published by media outlets and sent directly via text to family members by Brazilian journalists”.

“It goes without saying that this crosses many professional and personal boundaries,” a statement by the family read.

The family has asked for “privacy and respect at this difficult time”.

Gabriel Rosa, a journalist from Brazilian newspaper O Globo, said police informed local media of the find.

“Civilian police has sent an email informing that a body was found in Marica and the body was probably from Rye and they were sending the body to Niteroi, which is a city between Rio and Marica,” he said.

“It was a male body, still unidentified. It has the shirts that Rye was wearing and the shorts.”

Mr Hunt is believed to have suffered a psychotic episode after taking drugs.

Two family members flew to Rio to help with the search and be with his travelling companion.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.