Exmoor Body mystery
The Exmoor Body mystery concerns the remains of an unidentified murder victim found on Winsford Hill, near Winsford, Somerset on 13 March 2002.[1][2][3][4][5]
Discovery[edit]
The body was discovered on moorland near Halse Lane on Winsford Hill in March 2002 by a park ranger who didn't open the bags and assumed they were animal remains.[1][2][3][4] The remains were taken to the Devon and Somerset stag hounds kennels where there is an incinerator.[1][2][3][4] After several days the bags were opened and the remains were discovered to be human.[1][2][3][4][5]
Identification attempts[edit]
Examination of the body showed that he was a man in his mid-20s to mid-30s.[1][2][3][4][5] A distinctive gold pendant he wore with verse 255 from the Quran led investigators to consider that he may be a Muslim.[4]
He suffered injuries consistent with a violent death between late 1999 and 2000. He may have been buried on Exmoor at some time after May 2001.[4]
Burial[edit]
The body was buried in an Islamic funeral in a cemetery in Watchet.[3]
Appeals[edit]
There were numerous appeals for information on his identity in 2002 including international inquiries as well as a TV reconstruction.[4] In 2017 a new appeal was launched as he still had not been identified, even though a full DNA profile had been created.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "Exmoor body remains mystery". BBC News. 15 March 2002. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Head 'reconstructed' in body inquiry". BBC News. 14 May 2002. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Alder, Chris (17 September 2006). "Mystery body to be laid to rest". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Fresh appeal over Exmoor body mystery". BBC News. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "Fresh appeal over Exmoor body". BBC News. 9 September 2002. Retrieved 21 April 2020.