Rye Hunt’s sister gives birth to baby boy Edward James Rye as family mourns

TASMANIAN man Rye Hunt died in Brazil but a bit of him lives on in Hobart.

TASMANIAN man Rye Hunt died in Brazil but a bit of him lives on in Hobart.

Edward James Rye was born on Monday night to Mr Hunt’s sister Romany Brodribb.

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“We wanted to give (Edward) a little nod to his uncle,” Ms Brodribb told the Mercury yesterday.

Along with the newborn, the Hunt family received more good news — a Brazilian court approved their request to have Mr Hunt cremated, in line with his wishes.

Police investigator Elen Souto talking to reporters about the Rye Hunt case earlier this month.

“It’s been approved so that is fantastic,” said Ms Brodribb, who despite being heavily pregnant has managed media requests throughout the tragic ordeal.

It means a death certificate can be issued and Mr Hunt can be cremated in Rio de Janeiro, with plans to bring his ashes home on Wednesday.

Ms Brodribb said the process would help bring closure to the family.

Tasmanian man Rye Hunt was on the trip of a lifetime with friend Mitchell Sheppard when he disappeared in Rio de Janeiro.

Mr Hunt’s body was found washed ashore on a beach near Rio de Janeiro last Wednesday.

The 25-year-old had been backpacking around the world with friend Mitchell Sheppard when he disappeared in Rio on May 21.

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Police believe that the night before the two friends used the party drug MDMA, triggering a psychotic reaction.

But Mr Hunt’s family believe the pair may have mistakenly taken a potent NBOMe psychedelic drug.

They have maintained that he was not a regular drug user.

The drugs were obtained from some Australian friends the pair had met during their travels. According to reports, Mr Hunt was paranoid at the time and accused his friend of wanting to kill him.

A CCTV image of Rye Hunt before he disappeared in Rio de Janeiro. Picture: AAP/Polícia Civil do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

They went to Rio’s international airport to buy tickets for Bolivia but split after an argument. They planned on reconvening 30 minutes later but Mr Hunt caught a taxi to Copacabana where he booked an apartment.

He left there about three hours later.

Bonnie Cuthbert shows a photo of her missing boyfriend Rye Hunt, 25, during a press conference in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month. Picture: AP/FELIPE DANA