Rugby player Bryn Hargreaves' body found more than year after going missing
The body of former rugby league player Bryan Hargreaves has been found over a year after he was reported missing, his family have confirmed.
The man from Wigan was last seen in January 2022 in Cheat Lake, West Virginia - where he was residing at the time.
Hargreaves - who was 36 at the time - failed to turn up to work one morning and was subsequently reported missing by his employer.
After retiring from rugby league, Hargreaves decided to move stateside to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife at the time.
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But after a bit of time in the hustle and bustle of Pittsburgh, Hargreaves decided to move to quiet and rural West Virginia.
Hargreaves last spoke to his family on 3 January 2022, nine days before they contacted police after his apartment was found empty.
At the time, Hargreaves' older brother told BBC North West Tonight that his disappearance seemed 'strange' considering his shower was running and his door was unlocked when his apartment was checked.
"Why would you leave your door open, your shower on and leave all your items inside?," he said.
Following that, a major search began for the former rugby player, which was led by police and tracker dogs in West Virginia.
His family also set up a GoFundMe page to try and help track Hargreaves down, with the eventual aim of hiring a private detective to take on the role of locating him.
A website set up to help find Hargreaves was also created, providing updates on the search.
But 14 months on, the family have learned the devastating news that the sporting star's body has been found.
Older brother Gareth took to Facebook to announce the passing of his younger brother.
He wrote: "RIP Bryn Hargreaves. With incredible sadness I can confirm 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 all those that have helped in the search. We would appreciate a little space and will keep you updated when we have any further information x."
Hargreaves' mother, Maria Andrews, also took to social media to say that she was 'heartbroken' by the news.
"Not something I wanted to be sharing," she added.
"I'm in bits #heartbroken my beautiful son Bryn I can't think of any words to describe the pain xx"
No cause of death has been provided.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Callum Jones