A LIVE appeal will feature on BBC Crimewatch Roadshow today (June 15), where Avon and Somerset Police will be asking for your help to identify a body found 15 years ago.
An Exmoor park ranger found bags containing human remains on moorland off Halse Lane near the village of Winsford on Sunday, March 3 2002.
Despite an extensive police investigation and national appeals, including a reconstruction on Crimewatch in 2002, the body has never been identified and the mystery surrounding the man’s death continues.
While the cause of death remains undetermined, there’s evidence the man suffered injuries consistent with a violent assault before his death, which was sometime between late 1999 and 2000.
Following analysis of satellite photographs, police believe the body may have been kept elsewhere for a significant period of time before being buried on Exmoor at some point after May 2001.
DS Pete Frake, of the Major Crime Review Team, will appear on the BBC show at 9.15am today to summarise the key aspects of the inquiry and urge people to call in if they can help.
He said: “The remains of the man were wrapped in plastic bags and bedding and alongside him were a number of items including underwear and a distinctive gold pendant featuring a verse from the Quran.
“We’ve carried out exhaustive enquiries over the years, tracing hundreds of reporting missing people and following up leads from members of the public, but frustratingly, the identity of this man is still unknown.
“A clay head facial reconstruction was produced in May 2002, along with other 3D reconstructions, to give an idea of what the man may have looked like.
“We have a full DNA profile, so cutting-edge forensic techniques have been utilised and we’ve sought input from leading scientific experts from around the UK and Europe, including anthropologists, pathologists, dental morphology specialists and experts in Mitochondrial DNA analysis.
“Establishing the man’s identity is the key to unlocking this case. We need to let his family know what happened to him and ensure the person or people involved in his death and the gruesome deposition of his body on Exmoor are brought to justice.
“One call to us could make all the difference."
• Do you know of someone who went missing inexplicably in late 1999 or 2000?
• Do you have any information on how this man died, or how his remains came to be on Exmoor?
• Did you see any suspicious activity on Exmoor around May 2001?
“We have a full DNA profile of the victim so we are able to rule people in or out of this inquiry,” he added.
There are some key identifying features police want people to consider to see if they know who this man may be:
• Died in late 1999 to 2000
• In his mid-twenties to mid-thirties
• Pigmented skin tone
• Caucasian bone structure – so heritage most likely to be North Africa or Asian sub-continent – but could also be Middle Eastern or eastern Mediterranean.
• May have only lived in UK for a few years prior to 1999/2000
• May have spent time in southern England – in an area between Plymouth and Bude in the west and Poole and Bristol in the east.
• Found with gold pendant with an inscription from verse 255 of the Quran – called The Throne Verse/The Chair
• Police believe the pendant was made in Pakistan and is commonly worn in the Gujarat area of India.
If you can help with this inquiry, please call the Major Crime Review Team on 101 and tell the call handler you are calling about Operation Glacier.
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