‘UNKNOWN MAN’ TO BE EXHUMED
THE body of a man is set to be exhumed from a cemetery to try to identify him decades after he was found on a Welsh beach. Police say recent developments have provided a strong lead on a possible identity for the body of the man, who was found on Aberdyfi beach on December 28, 1982.
It is hoped the body can be identified and give closure for bereaved relatives. If successful, a DNA profile will be gained from the exhumed remains. The profile will then be compared to DNA samples provided by the missing man’s family, North Wales Live reports.
The process is the latest in a series of similar operations held under North Wales Police’s Operation Orchid which is an investigation with the aim of identifying previously unidentified bodies found in North Wales between 1968 and 2001.
The investigation has so far identified three people who went missing between 1983 and 1994; Pauline Finlay, Joseph Dowley and Conor Whooley, all of whom came from Ireland.
Their families have finally been given answers as to what happened to their loved ones, the force says.
In 2018, the body of a man discovered on a Welsh beach more than three decades previously was finally identified after it was found to be missing Irishman Joseph Dowley. Despite an extensive police investigation at the time, attempts to identify the 63-year-old whose body was found at Rhosneigr on Anglesey by an RAF airman on November 9, 1985, had previously failed.
The death was not treated as suspicious and the man was subsequently interred in an unmarked grave in Menai Bridge Cemetery on Anglesey.
An investigation by the Garda missing persons bureau and North Wales Police led to the body being exhumed on June 19, 2018.
Two months later the remains were confirmed to be those of Mr Dowley, who had been living in London and was last seen in October 1985 when he was driven to a ferry terminal by a relative.
North Wales Police will be conducting the exhumation at Dolgellau Cemetery on Wednesday, September 22, which will be closed from 8am to 5pm “to facilitate a safe and respectful operation”.
Temporary Det Sgt Don Kenyon said: “This operation demonstrates our ongoing commitment to identify these people and provide their families the opportunity to grieve and conduct a funeral service in accordance with their faiths.
“From meeting with the relatives of missing people the importance and value of this work cannot be overstated, and I hope that this operation will allow another family to understand and come to terms with their loss.”
Steffan Jones, head of Gwynedd council’s highways and municipal department, added: “We have been working with North Wales Police to make the necessary arrangements at the council’s cemetery in Dolgellau.
“Whilst we recognise that there may be a temporary inconvenience on Wednesday, September 22, for those wishing to visit the cemetery, this is important work and we hope that it can bring peace to the family.”