More than a year after his body was found in a field, a man has finally been identified. Police issued several appeals to try to work out who they had discovered on a field in Rivington, near Bolton.
The man’s body was found in a field at Dean Brook, near to Horrobin Lane, on December 7, 2023. A sketch of how officers believed the man looked while he was alive was published last March in an attempt to piece together the clues.
Photos of a watch, coat and boots he had been wearing were also shared by Lancashire Police. Now, the man has finally been identified through his DNA, after his relatives were found overseas.
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The family have asked that the man is not publicly identified.
Detective Inspector Paul Price, of South CID at Lancashire Police, said: “We know that you will have seen a number of appeals over the last year, including on cause of death, and I wanted to be able to provide you with an update. I also wanted to thank you, the public, for all the assistance you have provided following our appeals in sharing information with us.
“Your assistance is invaluable in helping us with our enquiries, and I am so relieved that the man has now been identified and can be reunited with his loved ones.” Lancashire Police says it worked with other forces, the National Crime Agency and Interpol as it issued appeals to discover the man’s identity.
The watch, jacket and boots the man was wearing when he was found dead -Credit:Lancashire Police
Facial recognition, fingerprints and DNA were all used to solve the mystery. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Lancashire Police says further work is being conducted to establish the cause of death.
A force spokesperson added: “His family have been informed and have asked that he is not publicly identified. Our thoughts are with them at this time.”