Images of M-way murder man issued

Police have attempted to identify the man from CT scans of his head

Images of a man whose burnt body was found on an embankment by a motorway have been issued by police investigating his murder.

Warwickshire Police have said the man, whose body was dumped from a car on the hard shoulder of the M45 near Rugby, died after suffering head injuries.

Detectives have released specially scanned images of the man's face they are using in a bid to identify him.

The ethnicity of the victim, aged between 45 and 75, is not known.

A post-mortem examination revealed he had suffered substantial head injuries and was dead prior to his body being dumped and set alight.

The motorway was closed for 24 hours between its junction with the A45 and its link to junction 17 of the M1.

The victim was found after a driver reported seeing a fire at about 1315 GMT on Tuesday.

Police said they would use dental records in the hope of identifying the man, whose body was left on an embankment on the eastbound M45 near Dunchurch.

Det Supt Adrian McGee appeals for information

The images detectives are using were taken during the post-mortem tests and show the face and profile of the man who appears to have a distinctively shaped nose and slightly protruding front teeth.

A police spokesman added that the man was thought to have had extended sideburns or a full beard, which was dark but greying.

He is also believed to have had longish wispy hair and was between 5ft 2ins and 5ft 6ins tall.

Warwickshire Police said they were alerted by fire crews who went to the scene after reports of a blaze but discovered what they believed to be a body.

Police searched a six-mile stretch of the motorway

The carriageways were closed to ensure the safety of officers at the scene, but reopened at about 1700 GMT on Wednesday.

Officers said they particularly wanted to hear from a man who reported the fire to Highways Agency workers on the M45.

Det Supt Adrian McGee said: "Most importantly I would appeal for anyone who was on the M45 yesterday afternoon between 12.30pm and 1.30pm, to contact the incident room which has been set up."

He said officers were examining CCTV footage.

A force spokesman added: "Police would also like to hear from anyone who has concerns for the whereabouts of a male friend or relative aged between 45 and 75 years who has not been seen recently."