The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement Tuesday saying human remains were found at Coopers Rock State Forest over the weekend.
According to the press release, a hiker saw the remains Saturday, which were located off the Mont Chateau Trail, and notified the sheriff’s department.
Deputies responded to the area and confirmed the remains were human. The body was recovered and sent to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Charleston.
Many questions were not answered by the sheriff’s department Tuesday, including what condition the remains were found in, if there was clothing or any other items on or near the body that help with identification, whether the remains were that of a male or female, or how long the body might have laid in the area.
It is also unknown what part of the 2.6-mile long Mont Chateau Trail the hiker made the discovery. According to trail maps of the forest, the trail begins at the Henry Clay Iron Furnace and ends at Cheat Lake, near the old Mont Chateau lodge and the difficulty level of the trail is rated as being moderate to difficult.
Sheriff’s department officials said they are unable to release any additional information until a positive identification has been made by the medical examiner.
There are currently two individuals in the area who have been reported missing recently, however the investigators said they cannot speculate on the identity of the remains.
Local doctor John Lawson Magruder, 39, of Morgantown, was last seen in the Morgantown area on July 27. Area law enforcement and search and rescue crews searched part of the Coopers Rock area after finding the doctor’s car there. The search was called off after searching nearly 850 acres of the almost 13,000-acre forest.
Since then, little information has been released on the investigation into Magruder’s disappearance. He is described as a white male, 5-foot-11, and weighing approximately 260 pounds.
Bryn Hargreaves, 36, was reported missing in the Cheat Lake area of Morgantown in January. Hargreaves, a former professional rugby player who is originally from Wigan, England, was living at the Whisper Creek Apartments on Pierpont Road, but little is known about his last known location.
Searches for Hargreaves in the Cheat Lake area have so far been unsuccessful. He is described as a white male with brown hair, 6-foot-2, weighing around 220 pounds and has a tattoo of a family crest on his right arm.
The Dominion Post will continue to follow up on the discovery of the remains as well as the ongoing investigations into the missing men.
If you have information regarding either Magruder or Hargreaves, call the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office at 304-291-7260.
