Family and friends of former rugby league star Bryn Hargreaves have come together to commemorate his memory after his body was found more than a year after he disappeared in the US.
The 37-year-old ex-St Helens player was reported missing after failing to show up for work last January, sparking a major police manhunt.
At the time of his disappearance, Bryn was working as a gas and oil pipeline safety inspector and was living alone following his divorce from Amy Bombard two years earlier.
His family said he had become “isolated” during the Covid lockdown and suggested he could return to the UK, but when they last spoke to him on January 3 last year he “appeared to be fine” .
When officers arrived at his Morgantown, West Virginia, home, they found his door unlocked and his shower still working, along with all his belongings, including his phone and Apple laptop, sparking fears he had been kidnapped.
Announcing the news yesterday, his brother Gareth wrote on Facebook: “RIP Bryn Hargreaves. It is with incredible sadness that I can confirm that after 14 months we have finally found Bryn.
“We still do not know the cause of death or what actually happened on 3/1/22. Thanks to everyone who helped with the search.’
Bryn, pictured with his ex-wife Amy, was reported missing in January last year when he failed to show up for work
Bryn Hargreaves played in the Super League for Wigan, St Helens and Bradford, which he represents here
Gareth Hargreaves announced the death of his brother Bryn on Facebook yesterday
His mother Maria Andrews also wrote on social media: “Nothing I wanted to share. I’m devastated #heartbroken. My beautiful son Bryn. I can’t think of words to describe the pain xx.”
A spokesman for the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office said at the time of his disappearance that Bryn was reported missing to them on Jan. 16.
Sniffer dogs were used in Morgantown’s Cheat Lake area, but to no avail. Gareth said at the time: “It’s almost like he was kidnapped from his shower.
“It’s certainly a fear of mine. Apparently he had mental health issues and severe back pain from a car accident in December.
“I think the police thought he had done something to himself and that’s certainly a possibility that we also fear. But five months later, a body would surely have turned up.
“It’s a bit strange when you wanted to leave, leaving your apartment unlocked with all your ID and some of your prized possessions.
“That’s one of the reasons I can’t leave this. If he was having a bad time and had enough, so he took himself, that’s fair enough.
“But if something happened and we didn’t try to help him or find him, I could never forgive myself.”
Investigators launched a manhunt that yielded no clear leads.
His family started a GoFundMe page to raise £20,000 to pay a private investigator, but all searches have been fruitless.
His mother and brother flew to the United States on January 28 for seven weeks to look for Bryn.
Bryn, from Wigan, played 175 games in the sport’s top division, the Super League, for the Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Bradford Bulls.
He retired from rugby aged just 26 after becoming disillusioned with the game and then moved to the United States.
Bryn worked in the oil and gas industry and lived in Pittsburgh with his American wife Amy, whom he met while vacationing in Mexico in 2013.
He married Amy in a ceremony in Pittsburgh attended by both of their families, but after four years they lived apart and eventually filed for divorce.
Concerned friends told the Mirror that the divorce “must have devastated him” because he was “so happy” when they got married.
When the couple split he moved to West Virginia but Gareth said Bryn was feeling isolated during the Covid lockdown and suggested he could return to the UK.
Last December, Bryn was involved in an accident with his Jeep, leaving him with severe back pain and unable to drive. Instead, he relied on Uber to get around.
Gareth previously said the private investigator asked police if he could search a lake for Bryn’s body and confirmed he had some mental health issues.
But he had claimed police would not authorize the search, and although the family had the money to conduct a private investigation, it deterred them from going ahead.
Gareth previously said: “The private investigator said he could not find any concrete evidence of anything.
“But he believed Bryn was in a bad mental state, and he had other evidence to back that up.
Gareth Hargreaves, Bryn’s brother, announced on Facebook yesterday that his brother’s body has been found
Bryn, from Wigan, played 175 games in the sport’s top division, the Super League, for the Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Bradford Bulls
Bryn disappeared from his home in Whisper Creek, just outside of Morgantown in West Virginia (pictured), where he had moved after retiring from rugby
Bryn’s home was found empty and police said they were certain he was not using his pictured Jeep
Originally from Wigan, Bryn made 175 appearances in the sport’s top flight, the Super League, for the Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Bradford Bulls. Here he plays for the latter in 2011
“He believed he would have been more likely to commit suicide, which we knew was a strong possibility. He wanted to search the lake again because he believed the initial search had some flaws. But the police wouldn’t grant that.’
Gareth said he personally “fought” not to get any answers about his brother’s whereabouts after he suddenly disappeared.
And he had claimed there were lines of inquiry that the police should have followed shortly after his disappearance.
He said: “His phone was never accessed, they couldn’t. They never really checked the CCTV if I’m honest, which was a bit frustrating.’
Bryn had a distinctive tattoo on his shoulder (pictured) that his family hoped would help track their son
Hargreaves, pictured here at right, played in the prop position and for Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Bradford Bulls
His family last Facetimed him on Jan. 3 — making this one of the most recent photos of Bryn
Bryn retired from rugby aged just 26 after becoming disillusioned with the game and then moved to the United States to work in the oil and gas industry
Unfortunately, no one could provide a date or location when he was last seen or what he was wearing, which police say has hampered their attempts to locate him.
After news of Bryn’s death broke on social media, other friends and family paid tribute to the “kind” and “gentle” athlete.
A relative wrote: “Heartbroken. My nephew was a kind, reserved and gentle giant and he gave you his right arm.’
A friend added: “RIP Bryn Hargreaves my old pal.
Another said: “For the whole family I am so sorry for the loss of Bryn. Times have not been easy over the past 14 months. Bryn made an impression on everyone he came in contact with and he was loved by so many people.
A cause of death has not yet been determined.