A 'deeply loved' British man who went missing after a video game convention in the Netherlands has been found dead in a river. Bradley Passey, 21, disappeared on Sunday, May 30, following a night out in Rotterdam with friends. He was last seen at around 2am near Munch night club on Maasboulevard, close to Willemsbrug.
After a desperate four-day manhunt, Mr Passey's body was recovered on Thursday morning at Boompjeskade, a waterfront on the Nieuwe Maas, a distributary of the Rhine River. The 21-year-old's family had flown out to the Netherlands in a desperate bid to find him, visiting hospitals and reviewing CCTV footage for clues.
Mr Passey had flown to the Netherlands for TwitchCon, a video gaming convention in Rotterdam held from 30-31 May. Alarm bells were raised when he did not board his scheduled flight to Manchester on Monday. He was described as around 6ft 5ins, with a slim build, light skin, and long ginger hair, believed to be wearing an oversized beige jacket, grey trousers, and white trainers when he disappeared.
His phone was still active in the early hours before he vanished but was later switched off. His family issued an urgent appeal, sharing the last known sighting of him leaving a hostel in the Overblaak Cube Houses area. His sister, Amy Day, wrote on social media: 'My brother Bradley Passey is currently missing. He recently attended a gaming convention in Rotterdam and was due to fly home to Manchester. His last known whereabouts was Rotterdam on Saturday evening. No one has had any contact with him since.'
After Mr Passey's body was recovered, Ms Day wrote: 'We have sadly had confirmation this morning that Bradley Passey unfortunately drowned in River Maas. We hoped to have time as a family to process this, but news has already spread in the media in the Netherlands.' The family set up a GoFundMe page for funeral costs, stating: 'Bradley was a deeply loved son, brother, and friend. He meant so much to everyone who knew him, and his loss has left an unimaginable void in our lives.'
Dutch police do not suspect foul play and are treating the death as an accident. An FCDO spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who died in the Netherlands, and we are liaising with local authorities.'
