A new image has been issued of a man whose body was found near Bristol in 1996 but was never identified. The man was found dead on the bank of the River Avon on Sunday, May 19, 1996, but despite a number of public appeals in the years since then, no one has ever come forward to say that they recognise him.
A new depiction of how the man may have looked has been created in a fresh bid to finally discover his identity. The image was created by Locate International, a UK-registered 'cold-case' charity that helps families to solve missing persons cases and unidentified loved ones.
The man was found with a few distinctive items with him, including a cardboard sign with a handwritten message saying ‘Sleeping rough, thank you’, a red penny whistle and a copy of Thomas More’s ‘Utopia’, a satire dating to the early 16th century. The book was missing an outer cover and had the words ‘West Glamorgan County Council’ on the first page.
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He was also carrying a passport-sized photo of himself as a young man. The man’s appearance had changed since the photo was taken, and at the time of his death, he had light brown hair. He was white, of medium build and was thought to be aged between 25 and 35 years old.
He was approximately 6ft (185cm) tall, with blue eyes and wore a black sweatshirt and jacket, blue ‘Lee Riders’ jeans and brown boots. Other items in his position included 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.
“We believe he must have been visiting somewhere or travelling around,” said Dave Grimstead, Locate International’s CEO and co-founder, “So we’re confident someone, somewhere, must have interacted with him, or remembered him.
“That might have been in the Bristol area or anywhere else in the UK. Ask yourself if this is someone you encountered – maybe on the street, busking with a penny whistle, or while travelling around the country.
“He could well have been an interesting and memorable man to talk to, with a range of interests, so someone out there must remember meeting him.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Locate International by emailing appeals@locate.international, by calling 0300 102 1011 or by visiting Locate International's website.
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