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Reservoir Body: Ethnicity Questioned
22 Oct
Summary
- An unidentified man's body was found in a reservoir two years ago.
- New findings suggest the man may not have been white as initially thought.
- An inquest is ongoing to determine his identity and cause of death.
A two-year-old mystery surrounding an unidentified man found in a Powys reservoir has gained new developments. The body, discovered in Claerwen Reservoir in October 2024, was initially described as being of white European descent. However, an inquest heard this week that a forensic orthodontist's examination of the man's teeth and jaw suggests he "may not have been of white ethnicity."
Despite a significant international police appeal and the use of advanced facial reimaging, the man's identity and the cause of his death remain unknown. The inquest also heard that the man's remains could have been in the water for over three months. A liver sample, provided two years ago, was never tested and the coroner has ordered this analysis as a new line of inquiry.
Further investigation revealed that police databases were used, but commercial DNA sites, commonly used for genealogical research, were not. The force cited potential resource implications for using such sites, stating results could number in the thousands. An examination of a tag on the man's wetsuit also yielded unenhanceable marks that could possibly have been a name.
