The brother of an ex-ruby league star who vanished in the US has stated that his case is eerily similar to that of missing mum Nicola Bulley.
Gareth Hargreaves, 39, said investigators still have no solid "evidence" to identify his brother's whereabouts, however it is believed his body may be in a lake. Bryn Hargreaves, 36, went missing on January 3 last year after police were called to his apartment complex in West Virginia, USA.
They discovered his door was unlocked and his shower was still running. His belonging, including his phone and laptop, were also still at the address.
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A private investigator hired by his family was apparently unable to uncover any "concrete" details, leaving Gareth to similarities between his brother's disappearance and that of Nicola who disappeared 12 days ago.
He said: "I feel like it’s exactly the same. I literally do. She’s disappeared without a trace. There’s no evidence of anything, except for her phone, the same as Bryn, and the police have just postulated that she might be in the river.
“She could have been abducted for all they know, but they’re just thinking she might be in the river. And we’re just thinking maybe Bryn's in the lake, but we don’t know. There’s no evidence. It’s just a theory.”
Bryn, originally from Wigan, retired from rugby league at 26 and moved to the US 10 years ago. He worked in the oil and gas industry and lived with his American wife in Pittsburgh.
However, when the couple split, he moved to West Virginia. Gareth said Bryn was left feeling isolated during lockdown and had indicated he might move back to the UK.
Gareth said: “The private investigator said he couldn’t find any concrete evidence for anything. But he believed Bryn was in a poor mental state, and he had more evidence to back that up.
“He believed he was more likely to have committed suicide, which we knew was a strong possibility. He wanted to search the lake again because he believed the initial search had some vulnerabilities.
"But the police wouldn’t grant that.”
Gareth added that he had "struggled" with not having any answers about his brother. He claims there had been lines of inquiry that should have been followed up on by police shortly before his brother's disappearance.
He said: “His phone has never been accessed, they haven’t been able to. They never really checked the CCTV if I’m honest, which was a bit frustrating. Those things have kind of passed now. WhatsApp disappears, CCTV gets wiped, that sort of thing.
"I don’t know if they’ll try to get access to his phone and laptop in the future.
He added: “Bryn went missing in January, and then we had a ten-month-old baby in March. The baby hasn’t slept for a year. So I’m personally struggling with my own life, going to work on four hours of sleep for the last ten months.
“I don’t even know how to process it. Am I processing a death? Am I processing the fact that he’s missing, but we’re still trying to find him? I don’t really know what to do with it."
Lead investigator Stephen Currie from Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office said: "It is still an active investigation and we are following up on any leads that may help locate Mr. Hargreaves."
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