Police seek clues in 40-year-old woodland body case

Nearly 40 years after a man's body was discovered in Staffordshire woodlands, police have launched a fresh appeal for information. The man was found hanging from a tree in Coronation Wood, near Lichfield, on April 5, 1987, by two men shooting in the area. His identity has remained a mystery despite extensive investigations. He is believed to have died approximately a week before his discovery.

Investigators describe the unidentified man as being in his mid-50s, about 5ft 8in tall, with a slender to muscular build. He had distinctive features, including no hair on the top of his head, greying hair at the sides, a moustache, and only two lower teeth. He possessed no identity documents, but personal items found with him included keys, handkerchiefs, a blue comb, and two Ladbrokes betting shop pens.

Law enforcement is collaborating with volunteer investigators from the cold case charity Locate International. They are urging anyone who might recognize the man's description, clothing, or personal items, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. Police are particularly interested in anyone who remembers a man frequenting local betting shops in the 1980s who later went missing.