Detective now hope to identify a man discovered in a woodland have released facial reconstruction.
The skeletal remains were discovered in a woodland off the A419 near Cirencester by workmen in May 2018. Gloucestershire police said the body had been undiscovered for a long time and there were no suspicious circumstances of his death.
It has been nearly a year since the discovery but the man’s identity still remains a mystery. The facial reconstruction hopes to bring new leads or an identification for the man.
Det Ch Insp Richard Ocone said the body of the man was “pretty decomposed, and was in effect a skeleton” when it had finally been found.
The man is said to have been in his early 30s but could be as old as 55; he would be between 5ft 5in and 5ft 8in tall, he is likely to be a white British national.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE POLICE
Items including a raincoat, sunglasses, trainers, a wind-up torch and a radio were found with the body
Det Ch Insp Ocone said: “We’re potentially dealing with somebody who’s perhaps walking distances between locations, and having no ID or money or a wallet on them is part of their lifestyle.
“It’s a bit of a quandary at the moment, we just need to know who he is.
“This man will be somebody’s son; he may well be somebody’s brother or uncle.”
The body was clothed in a black/dark grey Peter Storm raincoat, a grey/blue short-sleeved shirt, a black gilet and blue trousers with a dark leather belt. Dark trainers with a white sole and a beige baseball cap were found nearby, DNA provided no make with the national DNA database or the missing person database.
A small sony wireless FM radio, aviator sunglasses, a wind up torch and a karrimor rucksack were found and are distinctive items which could identify him. No mobile phone or identification were found. They believe the man was a isolated character. They also believe that he was travelling between Cirencester and Stroud.
If you know of someone who matches the above description that you haven’t seen for some time, or believe that you’ve previously driven past this man within the county please let Gloucestershire Police know by calling 101 and quoting Operation Octave.
Information about this man can also be submitted online here or via email at Op.Octave@gloucestershire.pnn.police.uk
