The mystery of a missing 25-year-old man who vanished after an office Christmas party in December 2011 has been solved but the news is not good for the family of Matthew Huszar.
The B.C. Coroners Service announced Tuesday that a body found by boaters on New Year’s Eve in False Creek near the Quayside Marina is that of Huszar.
“Preliminary investigation suggests Mr. Huszar died shortly after he was last seen,” said a release from the coroners service. “There is no evidence of foul play and the investigation is now focused on determining the cause and manner of his death.”
The Huszar family was notified of the confirmation of Matthew’s death. On behalf of family members, the coroners service requested the family’s privacy be respected at this time.
One month after Huszar went missing, his mother Danny, father Rod and sister Rachael participated in a press conference with the Vancouver Police Department in Gastown.
“There has been no evidence a crime was committed, no evidence of suicide, no evidence that he disappeared voluntarily — basically no evidence of anything,” his mother told reporters on Water Street. “We are very frustrated and frightened by the lack of any information whatsoever.”
The family had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of her son.
Huszar and friends left an office Christmas party and went to the Lamplighter Pub at 92 Water St. But, his mother said, her son chose not to stay because the lineup was too long to get into the pub.
According to his friends, she said, he was not intoxicated and was in a good frame of mind. He was excited to return to Vancouver Island to spend Christmas with his family. He also had a ski trip planned with his girlfriend.
At the time of his disappearance, Huszar was staying with a friend on Commercial Drive. He had recently purchased a sailboat to restore and planned to one day sail around the world, his mother said.
The coroners service said Huszar’s body was found about 1.7 kilometres from where he was last seen in Gastown. Huszar was a University of B.C. grad, with a Bachelor of Science degree in honours geology.
