Forensic tests on Exmoor body

Forensic tests on Exmoor body

A clay reconstruction was made of the man's head

Police believe new forensic evidence could help solve the mystery of a man's body which was found wrapped in a plastic bag on Exmoor.

The man's badly decomposed remains were discovered near Winsford Hill on Exmoor, Somerset, on 13 March 2002.

A three-dimensional clay reconstruction was made of the man's head, although Avon and Somerset Police have made limited progress in finding out who he was and how he died.

Substances found in the man's bones suggest he had lived in the South West for about 10 years and could have travelled around Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset.

Detective Superintendent Barrie Douglas said: "There have been extensive forensic examinations of the remains in the past year.

The man had a necklace with a passage from the Koran

"The latest of these has looked at the isotopes within the bones. They act as a sort of chemical signature for a person which can show where they lived.

This is related to various factors, including the water you drink and the background dust particles you breathe in."

Scientists think he had probably spent the time in an area bounded by Bristol, Poole, Plymouth and Bude.

Police believe that it means someone in the region knew the man.

He was between 25 and 35 years old, from the Mediterranean, Middle East, or North Africa, and he was wearing a gold necklace with a verse from the Koran on it.

Detectives are urging people to come forward with any information they might have.