Police have identified the human remains found in a field as a man who has been missing since the 1960s. Alfred Swinscoe went missing in early 1967 after drinking at the Pinxton Miners Arms pub in Derbyshire.
He gave his son money for a round of drinks and went to the toilet, but never returned, reports Nottinghamshire Live. The disappearance of Alfred, aged 54 at the time, left his family searching for answers ever since.
And his loved ones have finally got some closure following the recent discovery in Nomanshill Wood, Nottinghamshire. A member of the public came across bones in Coxmoor Road on April 26 this year, prompting an appeal from police.
Alfred's grandson, Russell Lowbridge, was only four years old when his relative vanished. But the now-60-year-old came forward with information following the appeal, leading to the breakthrough in identification.
Officers were first called to the scene in after this year. The area was cordoned off with all air activity including drones banned. Mr Lowbridge contacted police following a media appeal regarding the remains found.
DNA tests were carried out on Alfred’s son, now in his 70s, and matched against the bones exhumed from the ground. A second test against Russell's DNA confirmed the remains were those of Alfred.
Police have said they "know" Alfred, a father-of-six, was murdered and a team of detectives are working alongside a team of scientists to find his killer. Alfred was a miner, and had worked at Langton Colliery from the age of 14 and was last seen at work on January 20, 1967. He is survived by four of his six children, as well as grandchildren and their families.
Specially trained officers are supporting his family after the DNA match was confirmed. Detectives are piecing together Alfred's life before he died, as well as the night he went missing.
He was reportedly drinking with his two sons the night he disappeared, having given his son some money to buy a round and then left to use the outside toilet. He never returned.
A number of traumatic injuries were found on his skeleton, which are undergoing further analysis. He is thought to have been buried around 6ft deep on farmland.
Further tests on his remains are ongoing. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin said: “I cannot imagine how distressing this must have been for Alfred’s family who have been waiting 56 years for answers. Some of Alfred’s family members are no longer alive and will have died never knowing what happened to their loved one that night.
“All they know is Alfred went to the pub one evening and then never came home. We know that Alfred was murdered. We know this because it is quite obvious that whoever did this buried him in Coxmoor Road in the hope that no one would find him.
“Despite this being a crime that happened more than 50 years ago this will not stop us from using all the investigative skills at our disposal to find those responsible. We would like to thank the media and the public for sharing our appeals, which prompted Alfred’s grandson to come forward.
“Last week, we did not know who the man in the field was and had ruled out all three of our ‘no body’ murders through DNA testing. We knew the remains were male, between the ages of 40 to 60, and around 5ft 5ins tall. We now have a name. If we can understand how Alfred lived, then we can understand how he died.
“This investigation is moving at speed, and we would like to appeal to members of the public again for their help. We would like to hear from anyone with information about Alfred. Did you know him? Did you drink at the Pinxton Miners Arms at the same time as Alfred? Is there any information that could help us understand what happened that night?
“As time passes so do loyalties and we hope that people who may have had information at the time about his disappearance will come forward now. It is imperative that we find out what happened to Alfred to not only bring his family the closure they desperately need but to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“His killer left six children without a father. His killer stole any chance of him building the strong and lasting bonds that grandparents have with their grandchildren. His killer left them with decades of unanswered questions about what happened to their loved one. We hope with the public’s help we can put that right.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police online here, or calling 0800 096 0095.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
READ NEXT:
First picture of Glasgow man who died after being hit by lorry on M74 as family pay tribute
Scots seafood firm fined £80k after fisherman pulled overboard and drowned
Deaths of four prisoners at Scots jails to be probed by sheriff
Oxfam deletes 'TERF' cartoon over JK Rowling fury as charity denies character was based on author
