British entrepreneur Mike Lynch found in wrecked yacht in Sicily

LONDON — The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, 59, has been recovered from the wreckage of a yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC on Thursday, confirming an earlier report by Sky News.

Lynch’s daughter Hannah has still not been found, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. Sky News previously reported that five bodies recovered from the wreckage had been identified by the Italian coastguard, and that Lynch was among the dead.

Lynch, who went missing on Monday, was one of 22 passengers aboard the Bayesian superyacht, which capsized while anchored in the small fishing village of Porticello in Italy’s Palermo province.

On Wednesday, Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, confirmed to NBC News that five bodies had been recovered from the wreckage of the yacht. The only person confirmed dead by authorities so far is Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef.

CNBC has contacted the Italian Coast Guard and is awaiting a response.

Lynch is the founder of enterprise software maker Autonomy. He became the target of a protracted legal battle with Hewlett Packard after the company accused Lynch of inflating Autonomy’s value in an $11.7 billion sale. HP wrote down the company’s value by $8.8 billion in the year after its purchase.

Lynch was acquitted of fraud charges in June after a three-month trial. He was charged with wire fraud and conspiracy for allegedly scheming to inflate Autonomy’s revenue. Lynch has denied wrongdoing and told jurors that HP botched the integration of Autonomy.

Lynch is also the founder of Invoke Capital, a venture capital firm that backs European tech startups. He has become a key voice in supporting the UK tech industry, backing key names like cybersecurity firm Dark Trace and legal technology company Luminance.