Search for stag do Scot is over as body pulled from river
THE body of a Scot who went missing on his brother’s stag do in Germany has been recovered from a river.
A search was launched for Liam Colgan after he vanished in Hamburg following a drinking session in the early hours of February 10.
The 29-year-old had been on his brother Eamonn’s stag celebrations in the German city but he left a bar in the Reeperbahn red light area on his own.
His family and German police failed to find any trace of him despite a huge hunt.
Yesterday, the Lucie Blackman Trust, which helps the families of those missing abroad, announced Mr Colgan’s body was recovered from the River Elbe on Monday morning.
Police in Hamburg confirmed they pulled a body from the water in the HafenCity area and said it appeared to be that of the missing postman from Inverness.
The charity said: ‘The Lucie Blackman Trust is saddened to confirm that a body found in the River Elbe, Hamburg, is that of Liam Colgan, missing after attending his brother’s stag weekend in the German city.
‘While formal identification is yet to be carried out, Mr Colgan’s driving licence was in the pocket of the jacket and the clothes were those he was wearing the night he disappeared.’
Chief executive Matthew Searle added: ‘An astonishing amount of support has been apparent in this case – the search for Liam has been joined by thousands of people, both German and British, and we would like to thank all of them for their support.’
Mr Colgan, who was wearing a leather jacket, grey hoodie and straw hat when he went missing, was described by police as being ‘heavily intoxicated’ when he left the Veermaster pub at 1am.
He was later captured on two CCTV cameras in the Baumwall area of the city an hour later. In the footage he was seen at the vehicle barrier of Gruner & Jahr publishers’ building, where a witness described seeing the Scot stumbling down a flight of stairs outside an office building.
The witness then helped him up the steps to the main entrance of the building after he fell.
The CCTV then showed Mr Colgan trying to get into the building, before walking towards the nearby Michelwiese Park.
It is understood this was the last confirmed sighting of the Scot, however, a poor quality security camera at St Michael’s Church, close to the park, filmed a man matching Mr Colgan’s description walking along Englische Planke towards the Neustadt area, but this was unconfirmed.
A number of people claimed to have seen a man looking similar to him around Hamburg and the surrounding areas, with one report describing a man holding a sign reading ‘Help me get home’, in the nearby town of Poppenbüttel.
However, these reports were unconfirmed and failed to provide any leads.
Police in Hamburg said they were unable to confirm the body pulled from the Elbe was that of Mr Colgan but indicated that it was likely to be him.
A statement read: ‘After a witness had informed the police this morning, radio patrol cars went to a harbour in the HafenCity. The fire brigade finally salvaged a corpse floating in the water.
‘The corpse was transported to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for examination. Although the
‘Driving licence was in the pocket’ ‘Fire brigade salvaged corpse’
identity of the dead man has not yet been finally clarified, there is first evidence that this could be the missing person Liam Colgan.
‘Further investigations, especially on the cause of death, are continuing.’
At the start of the month, two possible sightings prompted Mr Colgan’s 33-year-old brother to return to Germany but once again the search drew a blank.
His family’s hopes that he was suffering from a head injury and was confused but still alive were dashed with yesterday’s news.
Eamonn’s wedding, due to take place last month, was postponed.