Body of rugby star Bryn Hargreaves found more than a year after he went missing

The body of former British rugby league player Bryn Hargreaves has been found more than a year after he went missing, his family has confirmed.

The former St Helens player, 37, was reported missing after he failed to report for work last January, sparking a major police hunt.

At the time of his disappearance, Bryn was working as a gas and oil line safety inspector and living on his own after his divorce from his wife, Amy Bombard, two years prior.

His disappearance sparked a major search by police and tracker dogs.
His older brother, Gareth Hargreaves, announced the former player’s death on Facebook 14 months after he last visited.

His family said he had been ‘self-isolating’ during the Covid lockdown and suggested he could return to the UK, but last spoke to him on January 3 last year, “he seemed fine”.

When officers arrived at his apartment in Morgantown, West Virginia, they found his door unlocked and his shower still running, along with all of his personal belongings, including his phone and Apple laptop, raising concerns that he has not been removed.

Breaking the news, his brother Gareth wrote on Facebook yesterday: ‘RIP Bryn Hargreaves. With incredible sadness I can confirm that after 14 months we have finally found Bryn.

“We still don’t know the cause of death or what really happened on 3/1/22. Thanks to everyone who helped with the search.’

His mother Maria Andrews also wrote on social media: “Not something I wanted to share. I’m in pieces #broken heart. My beautiful son Bryn. I can’t find any words to describe the pain xx.’

A spokesperson for the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office said at the time of her disappearance that Bryn was reported missing to them on January 16.

Sniffer dogs were deployed in the Cheat Lake area of ​​Morgantown, but to no avail. Gareth said at the time: “It’s almost like he’s been taken out of his shower.

It’s definitely one of my fears. Obviously, he had mental health issues and was suffering from severe back pain following a car accident in December.

“I think the police thought something had happened and that’s certainly a possibility we also fear. But five months later, a body would surely have been found.

“It’s a bit strange if you wanted to disappear to leave your apartment unlocked with all your ID and some of your most prized possessions.

That’s one of the reasons I can’t leave it. If he had a bad time and had enough of it to pull out, that’s fair enough.

“But if something happened and we didn’t try to help it or find it, I could never forgive myself.”

Bryn, from Wigan, has made 175 appearances in the sport’s top flight, the Super League, for Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Bradford Bulls.

He retired from rugby aged just 26 after becoming disillusioned with the game, then moved to the United States.

Bryn has 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.