Many people’s suspicions were confirmed when the remains found in a wooded area near Whisper Creek Apartments two weeks ago were officially identified this week as Bryn Hargreaves.
A resident of Whisper Creek, Hargreaves was last heard from around Jan. 3, 2022. He was reported missing on Jan. 16, 2022, and search and rescue efforts began. His mother and one of his brothers flew in from England to help with the extensive search, which lasted for a month as law enforcement, rescue groups and volunteers combed the area.
As news broke that Hargreaves’ remains had been found not too far from his apartment complex, people wondered: How could he have been so close, in an area that had been searched, and yet he wasn’t found?
The short answer: There are myriad factors outside of searchers’ control, and sometimes, even when law enforcement and search and rescue groups give 110%, search efforts fail.
The longer answer: Everyone who showed up to look for Hargreaves — including members of the sheriff’s department, Morgantown Police/Fire Search and Rescue, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mountaineer Area Rescue Group (MARG), MECCA 911 and multiple individual volunteers — did what they could. (For the full answer, see Erin Cleavenger’s story in the March 21 paper.)
Time, weather and terrain were not on their side. Hargreaves had been potentially missing for almost two weeks when police were notified. In the best-case scenario, it meant Hargreaves had ample time to travel away from his apartment and the surrounding area; in the worst-case scenario, it meant his remains had been exposed to the elements and wildlife for multiple days. It was January — which means cold and wet — and the area around Whisper Creek Apartments has, as one detective described it, densely wooded patches and some rugged terrain. Some places were not easily visible, and some places were too dangerous for searchers to navigate. The drones used were equipped with the technology to pick up heat signatures, and tracking dogs have to have the right conditions to do their jobs effectively.
Ultimately, two hunters searching for antlers came across Hargreaves’ remains in one of those densely wooded and rugged areas.
Even knowing all this, we think the part people will struggle with the most is that he was so close — that it took over a year to find him not far from his own home.
There are a million what-ifs and questions still to be answered, but none of them can change reality. Perhaps there will be lessons to learn for the future, but we trust that searchers did everything they could at the time.
We hope Hargreaves finally being found will bring his loved ones — as well as the community — some closure and allow healing to begin.
