Appeal after skull found at sea

Police trying to trace the identity of a man whose skull was found in the sea off Teesside have appealed to the public for help.

Fishermen made the discovery while trawling off the coast of Hartlepool in February 2008.

A forensic anthropologist has produced a facial reconstruction which North Yorkshire Police hope may lead to someone recognising the man.

He would have been aged between 20 and 30 and had a missing front tooth.

The skull is believed to have been in the water for at least two years, although if it was enclosed in a confined space it might have been there for several decades.

"So far scientific tests and checks against missing person databases have not led us to the man's identity"

Insp Tony Quinn of Scarborough Police said the man probably had north-west European ancestry.

"A distinctive feature is that he was missing his left-front tooth during life," he added.

"This could have been due to trauma or a congenital absence of the tooth.

"Unless corrected by a dental prosthesis, the missing tooth would have made the man's face look asymmetric.

"So far scientific tests and checks against missing person databases have not led us to the man's identity."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police.

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