Appeal to identify man 27 years after his death

By Laura Linham

14th Mar 2023 | Local News

The man was found with an old passport-style photo and a new image has been created of him
The man was found with an old passport-style photo and a new image has been created of him

Investigators are appealing to the public to help identify a man whose body was found in Somerset more than 25 years ago.

The man might have been living rough before his body was found on the bank of the River Avon in May 1996. Despite several public appeals, The man may have been living rough before he fell off the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, but despite many appeals, he has never been identified.

The investigation is being spearheaded by missing persons' charity Locate Internationa.

His body was found on the bank of the River Avon in Somerset in May 1996 but, despite several public appeals, he has never been identified.

The man was found with a few distinctive items with him:

  • a cardboard sign with a handwritten message saying 'Sleeping rough, thank you'
  • a red penny whistle
  • a copy of Thomas More's 'Utopia', a satire dating to the early 16th Century – it was missing an outer cover and had the words 'West Glamorgan County Council' on the first page
  • a Holy Bible
  • a paperback copy of 'The Greatest Batman Stories'
  • a Great Britain A-Z map
  • a Eurohike Adventure guide map
  • Silk Cut cigarettes
  • a blank Barclays giro slip

He was also carrying another possibly significant clue: a passport-sized photo of himself as a young man, with lighter hair.

The man was of medium build and thought to be aged between 25 and 35, around 6ft (1.8m), with blue eyes and light brown collar-length hair.

The charity is appealing for anyone with information about the man's possible identity to come forward and has released a new image of him.

At the time of his death, he was wearing a black sweatshirt and jacket, blue Lee Riders jeans and brown boots.

If you can help identify him, or have information that might be useful, however insignificant you think it may be, please contact Locate International by calling 0300 102 1011 or emailing[email protected].

     

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