Appeal widened in M45 murder case

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

Police investigating the murder of a man whose body was dumped on a motorway embankment and set alight have begun a nationwide appeal to identify him.

The man, whose body was found by the M45 near Rugby, Warwickshire, on Tuesday, sustained substantial head injuries, post-mortem tests showed.

Det Supt Adrian McGee appealed to people who had not heard from a friend, colleague or relative since new year.

The victim was 5ft 2in to 5ft 6ins tall with longish, wispy hair, police said.

Warwickshire Police, who have released specially scanned images of the man, said he had distinctive hair and teeth, facial hair and long sideburns or a full beard.

'Somebody's friend'

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

Det Supt McGee said: "This man was somebody's husband, somebody's brother, somebody's father, somebody's friend, somebody's work colleague.

"Friends and relatives tend to meet up or speak to each other on the phone around new year. Who haven't you seen or heard from?

He added: "We need you to think whether the person you haven't seen or haven't heard from matches the description of the victim."

The man's body was found after a driver reported seeing a fire at about 1315 GMT on Tuesday.

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