Unidentified bodies

UK Missing Persons Unit data shows that as of 2019/20 the Metropolitan Police force had 232 outstanding cases where a body or partial remains has been found but is still unidentified. Could the poignant objects found with these people be the key to reclaiming their names? Most unidentified bodies found in London are recovered wearing… Read More »Found with a watch, a badge, a ring … seven unidentified bodies and the clues to who they are

Craig Fryer went missing in 1992, reappearing four times in the 29 years leading up to his death. His ex-wife, 55-year-old Wendie Evans, tells Missing in London about the impact that his disappearances had on the family. “Craig and I met in 1987, through a mutual friend of ours named Dean. They were both renting… Read More »A man is missing for 29 years, then found dead. Here is the story of the family he left behind

The River Thames is the second largest river in the UK. It is 205 miles long and runs across the southern area of the UK, starting from the Cotswolds in Gloustershire, draining the whole of Greater London, and finishing at the Thames Estuary where it flows out to the North Sea. According to Locate International… Read More »Dead in the water: what the police do when they find a body in the River Thames

With its vast population of over 9million, the prevalence of unidentified bodies in London is not overly surprising. Since the sixties, 189 bodies found in the capital still remain anonymous – the most out of all police force areas in the UK. Emma Tilley, a PhD student at Staffordshire University who also works with Locate… Read More »Lost contacts and outdated systems: accounting for London’s unidentified bodies

For decades, UK police forces have struggled to instil a suitable procedure for missing on a night out cases. “One case in Manchester even saw the police telling the mother of a young man, ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s shacked up some nice young lady. He’ll be back in a couple of days,’” says Geoff… Read More »Solving the puzzle of people who go missing on a night out

On October 21, 2007, the body of a young man was found in a London public toilet. The only possessions he had with him were a travel pass, cigarettes and some betting slips. Fourteen years later, his identity remains unknown. On December 31, 2018, a man’s body was found in a salt marsh, Lincolnshire. His… Read More »A body is found with some cigarettes and betting slips – what happens next?