12/16/11 (Update): Matthew Huszar, 25, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Matthew Huszar
RECOVERED

Footprints has learned that the body of Matthew Huszar was found in January 2014 in False Creek. Our thoughts go out to Matthew and his friends and family.

Matthew Huszar, 25, was last seen December 16, 2011. The 25-year-old University of British Columbia geology grad was last seen outside the Lamplighter Pub at 92 Water Street in Gastown after celebrating with colleagues at a staff Christmas party. No one knows where Huszar went after that. Huszar failed to show up in Victoria the next day to meet his mom as planned, and he missed a post-Christmas visit from his girlfriend who came from the U.S.

Matthew's family stated to the media that his disappearance was out of character. Huszar is normally in frequent contact with his family, having sent his sister Rachael a text just two days before he disappeared. He was also always in touch with his mother, Danny. According to a website set up by the family at the time of his disappearance, Matthew had "no known mental-health or substance-abuse issues and has good relationships with family and friends." Additionally, friends said Huszar was not intoxicated on the night he was last seen, and he was in good spirits. He told his mother just that morning that he was excited about going to Vancouver Island to spend Christmas with his family.

There was no evidence that Huszar was a victim of criminal actions or suicide, or that he left town voluntarily. Despite been reported sightings of Matthew on SkyTrain and the SeaBus, his mother Danny told the Vancouver Sun  that no one had heard from her son.

“The hardest part is just not knowing,” Danny told the paper. “It just seems very bizarre that a person can disappear from a street in Vancouver and nobody has seen or heard anything."

The police said in January 2012 that they had no new leads.

“We’re very frustrated and frightened by the lack of any information whatsoever," said Danny. "We’re asking the public’s help for any information, no matter how insignificant.”

Huszar's mother, father and sister offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Matthew. They had hoped the reward would help trigger some information about what happened to Matthew. The family had been in constant contact with the police after Matthew's disappearance and with Huszar’s friends launched a poster and social media campaign, and a website to generate tips.


Recovery

In January 2014, two years after his disappearance, Vancouver Police announced that Matthew's body had been found in a marina in False Creek on Dec. 31. Vancouver Police divers collected evidence as part of their investigation. Police said there was no indication of anything suspicious in his death and foul play was not suspected.

According to the Canadian Press, "Coroner Barb McLintock says it appears Huszar died shortly after leaving a Gastown pub on Dec. 16, 2011. She says it's still unknown how and why Huszar reached the marina, two kilometres away, and in the opposite direction from his home. "

A cause of death has not been reported.


About Matthew Huszar

Matthew Huszar, a self-described "rock head," had graduated with an honors degree in geology from the University of British Columbia. Originally from Lethbridge, he had had moved to the Vancouver area to attend schoolto study at the University of British Columbia and was excited about moving up in his career as a geologist. An avid outdoorsman, Huszar loved climbing, hiking, camping and water sports. He was in the process of restoring a 49-foot sailboat in the hopes of cruising the Gulf Island. His dream was to sail around the world one day.



About This Case

Name/age: Matthew Huszar, 25
Last seen: 12/16/11, Lamplighter Pub, Gastown, BC, Canada
Residence: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Physical Description: 5'11", 175 pounds, shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes.
Last seen wearing: black dress pants, white and blue checkered shirt, black shoes, dark green tweed three-quarter length coat.
Investigating agency: Vancouver Police Department, 604-717-2530



Sources

McElroy, Justin. (2014, January 4). Matthew Huszar's body found in False Creek two years after his disappearance. Global News. Accessed July 22, 2014 from: http://globalnews.ca/news/1061669/matthew-huszars-body-found-in-false-creek-two-years-after-disappearing/

Staff report. (2014, January 7). Matthew Huszar dead: No sign of foul play, says coroner. Canadian Press. Accessed July 22, 2014 from: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/01/07/matthew-huszar-dead-no-foul-play_n_4556366.html.


Published 1/19/12. Updated 07/22/14.