Who Was The Unidentified Man Found In 2002?

13 June 2014, 06:00

A new appeal has been launched by Northamptonshire Police to identify a man whose body was discovered in Northampton almost 12 years ago.

Litter pickers discovered the body early Sunday morning the 29th of September 2002 at Lings Wood on the eastern side of Northampton.
 
The body of a deceased male was found in a small den area underneath some rhododendron bushes.  Police were notified and the body was eventually recovered, but to date this body has never been identified.
 
It is thought the body may have been there for up to 12 months and was badly decomposed.  A subsequent post-mortem failed to establish a cause of death.
 
Police believe he was an adult male, aged between 25 and 50, and he was between 5ft 8in to 6ft, probably with dark hair.
 
Dental records suggest he would have been at least 30 years of age and isotopic bone examination suggests he lived a large part of his life in an area with prominent chalk/limestone geology.
 
Fingerprints were not discernable and further analysis is required in continued efforts to enhance his full DNA profile.
 
Items found with the body included a beige sleeping bag, a black Equinox fleece jacket, a blue Viale work wear top, a green and brown 'Jet Flow' Torille 40 Outbound rucksack, cigarette lighters, a purple comb and hairbrush, a spectacle case and lens cloth and a damaged black and white photograph.
 
He was wearing a pair of blue and grey 'New Balance' trainers, white socks, navy 'Petroleum' track-suit bottoms, a pair of boxer shorts, a long-sleeved Polo-style top and a short-sleeved Polo-style top.
 
A full investigation was launched by Northamptonshire Police in 2002 as led by the force Homicide and Major Crime Team.  
 
Neil McMahon, from Northamptonshire Police's Cold Case Review Team, said: "We're very keen to try to identify this man and that's our primary concern here. It has been more than 12 years since he died and we still don't know who he is. We want to bring some closure to this case and we are taking this opportunity to try to reach as many people as possible here and around the world."
 
The services of the National Missing Person Helpline (now called Missing People) and the Missing Person Bureau (now within the umbrella of the National Crime Agency) were utilised.
 
Anyone with any information which could help identify this man can call Missing People on 0500 700700