The ongoing mystery of unknown man found dead in barn 43 years ago
BODY FROM VILLAGE FARM IN 1978 AND DRIVER IN 1992 CRASH ARE COUNTY’S TWO UNSOLVED CASES
It has now been 43 years since a decomposed body was found lying in a hay barn in Leicestershire - and despite all the advances in forensics, police are still no closer to finding out the man’s identity.
It is the oldest of two unidentified bodies found in the county and has been shrouded in mystery since it was discovered on July 15, 1978 in the barn at Wharf Farm, Market Bosworth.
What is known is that the body is that of a 5ft 6in European white man, of thin build, aged between 45 and 60.
He had with him a “Le Cheminant Master Mariner” gold-plated watch, along with two combs, three pencil stubs, a notebook, a child’s handkerchief, matches, a Tizer can, a blanket and a 5p coin. The man, who had long, greying, dark-brown hair, was wearing a blue pinstripe suit jacket, brown casual trousers, cream shirt and brown shoes.
He also had a brown smock, marked Cuffs Homepride Bakery, with “district supervisor” on the pocket. This was in an old condition.
The cause of death was not suspicious. It was a heart attack.
The body is just one of hundreds recovered from across Britain which remain unidentified, with the mysteries stretching back decades in many cases.
The only other unidentified body on the books of Leicestershire Police dates back to November 3, 1992, following a fatal car accident on the A1 near Empingham.
A white male, aged between 20 and 50, was badly burned when a Land Rover he was driving caught fire.
The vehicle had been stolen the previous day, but the man at the wheel was not believed to be the thief.
Whenever a body is found by police which cannot be identified, the details are published by the UK Missing Persons Unit within 48 hours, provided the investigating force agrees information should be shared publicly.
DNA is now routinely taken from unidentified remains and is uploaded on to the Missing Persons DNA Database (MPDD), to be checked against DNA profiles of missing people already uploaded on to the MPDD.
Dental records can also be used where there is no DNA available, for example, if skeletal remains are found and DNA cannot be obtained.
Every effort is made to extract DNA, which is kept on record until a match is found.
However, in older cases, before DNA was routinely taken, bodies may have since been buried or cremated, making it unlikely they will ever be identified.
What happens to unidentified bodies depends on the police force.
Some bury them, while others keep the bodies for a certain amount of time before making a decision to bury or cremate the remains.
As of March 31 last year, police forces across the whole of the UK held a total of 643 bodies, and a further 149 partial remains of bodies.
That was an increase of 10 bodies and eight partial remains from the previous year.
In addition, the UK Missing Persons Unit held details of 56 living people whose identity could not be traced, including one found in Leicestershire.
The oldest case dates back to October 23, 1966, when a decomposed body was found in a derelict house in East Smithfield, London.
It is believed the 41-year-old man, who was 5ft 6in, of a large build and with a number of missing teeth, may have been a vagrant.
The most recent was a body found on the Bank of River Dutch at Goole, Humberside, on March 20 of this year.
It is believed the 30 to 50-year-old man, who was 5ft 10in, had black hair and was wearing a black Airwalk jacket and a black Lonsdale jumper, had been dead for about a month.
A spokesman for the National Crime Agency said: “The UK Missing Persons Unit, part of the National Crime Agency, is the national and international point of contact for missing-person and unidentifiedbody cases.
“The unit provides specialist support and advice to police forces to resolve missing person cases and assist in the identification of bodies and remains, and also maintains a central national database of missing persons and unidentified cases.
“Our database provides a unique function enabling details of outstanding missing people cases and unidentified remains to be matched and is accessible to the public should they wish to submit details that may help find an identity.
“This work provides an essential service to forces and can help resolve cases that may otherwise remain outstanding.”