Brit Paralympian Sam Ruddock missing from WrestleMania found after four days

Daily Record

28-04-2025

The missing Brit Paralympian Sam Ruddock has been found safe in Las Vegas following his shock disappearance four days ago. A missing persons report was filed on Thursday, April 24, for the 35-year-old - whose mother, Fran Ruddock, said he was attending WrestleMania 41, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. A mystery Las Vegas man who was last seen with the Brit before his phone suddenly stopped receiving messages last week was being hunted down by worried pals of the athlete, reports the Mirror . Sam, who has represented Team GB in shot put, cycling and sprinting, posted several videos of himself in Sin City to his Instagram before he vanished . During one ten-minute clip, he was seen being driven towards the famous Las Vegas Strip and chatting to a 'Steve' as he told him about his stay in the States and how he arrived in the US to attend WrestleMania. Fran earlier told FOX5 that her son deals with cerebral palsy and was staying at a motel in downtown Las Vegas. The motel was holding his belongings. The Paralympian, from Rugby, Warwickshire, was also reported missing to the British police and the UK Foreign Office - but in a major update released this evening, police in Las Vegas confirmed Sam has been located safely. On Monday night, Sam's best friend of ten years Lucy Earl took to Instagram to share her happiness. 'Sam is alive. Sam has been found ,' she wrote. Then, addressing her followers, she posted a video. 'I just want to confirm Sam is alive,' she said, holding back tears. 'Sam is alive . Sam is well. Let's get that boy home. Thank you so much to everybody.' Lucy previously said she had last heard from the 35-year-old on Apil 16 - when he stayed with her the night before his flight. She said she contacted police and the hostel Ruddock was staying in, and was told he failed to check out or collect his belongings when he should have last week. Speaking during the time of his disappearance , Lucy said: 'Sam is very, very present on social media, he's such a passionate person about sports. He flew on the 13th, I've got confirmation that he landed, I absolutely know Sam was in Vegas. The concerning part is he went silent from the 16th and, because he is such a big presence on social media, people were quite fast to notice.' A spokesperson for British Cycling said: 'British Cycling understands that para-cyclist Sam Ruddock was reported missing to UK and US police and Interpol after not being heard from since Wednesday 16 April 2025, while visiting Las Vegas, USA. We urge anyone who has been in contact with Sam since 16 April or may have any information of his whereabouts to contact their local police department as soon as possible.' Lincolnshire police also confirmed it had an active missing person investigation for Ruddock. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said at the time: 'We are supporting the family of a British man reported missing in Las Vegas and are in contact with the local authorities.' Sam competed in the 2012 Paralympics as a sprinter but later switched to shot put - finishing fifth at the European Championships two years later. In 2016, he finished sixth in the Paralympics F35 shot put. He also won gold medals at the 1000km cycling time trial in Quentin en Yvelines, France, in 2022 - and another gold medal in Scotland in 2023.