Paralympian Vanishes During Las Vegas WrestleMania Trip
The family of British Paralympian Samuel Ruddock is desperately searching for him after he never returned to his hostel during a trip to attend WrestleMani 41 in Las Vegas.
According to multiple reports, Ruddock, 35, has not been heard from since April 16. He traveled solo to Las Vegas for the WWE event. He arrived in Las Vegas on April 13 and checked into the Bungalows Hostel on Las Vegas Boulevard. The Athletic reports Ruddock's friends became increasingly concerned when he suddenly went radio silent on Instagram. They said he's very active on the social media platform. A close friend told the BBC that Ruddock's disappearance was "really, really out of character" but he also had not "been in quite the right head space" as of late.
The former Team Great Britain hurdler was also scheduled to travel to New York and Texas as part of his trip, according to The Athletic. Police are currently conducting an active missing persons investigation.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Ruddock's mother, Fran, said her son was supposed to check out of his hostel on April 15, but he never returned to the hostel and left some of his belongings behind.
Ruddock has cerebral palsy, and his mother told the Review-Journal that he is "very unsteady on his feet and walks with a limp. He can be easily knocked over." His mother said her son last made an Instagram Live video on April 16. In that video, Ruddock is seen riding passenger side while traveling through downtown Las Vegas. He's seen in a convertible Austin Healey with a man named "Steve."
Ruddock is a decorated athlete. He was also a cyclist for Team Great Britain. Some of his accolades include winning the men's C1 1km time trial gold at the World Cycling Championships.
Las Vegas Police is investigating, and a friend told the BBC that she alerted police in the UK and with Interpol.