THE rugby league fraternity was shocked last week when the news that former Wigan Warriors, Bradford Bulls and St Helens forward Bryn Hargreaves had been found dead, 14 months after going missing.
Hargreaves, who had emigrated to the USA a number of years ago, had gone missing back in January 2022, with his body being found opposite his home last week.
For his uncle and former Great Britain prop, John Fieldhouse, the news of Bryn’s death didn’t take him by surprise after such a long time.
“Obviously it’s not really come as a shock because it’s been so long,” Fieldhouse told League Express.
“If you think about it there is no way he could have survived for 14 months so we were expecting it. It’s hard to accept because it’s been so long and he was so close to his apartment. Why has that area not been searched in the past?
Bryn’s mum, Maria Andrews, gave more information: “After a Zoom call with Detective Currie we found out that Bryn was found by shed hunters – deers, antelopes – was down a deep ditch in the middle of very dense woodland opposite where he lived. There were searches done in that area and I’m not happy he was missed.
“Given the location it would have been easy to miss and they do not have enough resources or experience needed in this field.
“He said he struggled to get to the spot after being reported but given Bryn’s job he would probably have found it ok at the start. It looks as if he fell but we wouldn’t know until we get the autopsy results as these can take months or years.
“Glenn (a person in the USA who has given lots of support to the family), who was on call asked ‘can we get a private autopsy done?’
“We can, Glenn is going to ask someone he knows to do one. As well, we agreed we will not have him cremated until we have the results just in case there is anything criminal. The only thing concerns me is that Bryn’s bag was at the top of the ditch and Bryn was at the bottom.
“We might not know or forever know what happened. I’m trying to accept it was an accident and we need to get him put to rest.
“I don’t know if I will ever stop the pain I am feeling. Time is a great healer with my family and friends.”
For John, it’s a case of waiting to see what happens from that autopsy.
“It’s going to drag on, but we can’t do anything about it unfortunately that’s the issue.
“Obviously I would have liked him to come home but he wasn’t having it. Apart from going and kidnapping and fetching him back we couldn’t do anything.
“He wanted help but he didn’t want the help. He was confused in what he wanted to do and you can’t do something against someone’s wishes.”
