On the 6th of February 2023 Staffordshire police received a report of a sudden death located between an industrial unit and a wooded area on Rosevale Road, Crackley, Newcastle-under-Lyme. Sadly police found the body of a white European male aged between 45 – 55 years old. The unidentified male had grey hair and stubble and was around 175cm – 183cm (5 ft 8 ins – 6 ft 0 ins) tall and was also of slim build. It is believed the male weighed 10 and a half stone but may have weighed more, due to decomposition they were unable to confirm the true weight of the male.
Police believed he may have been sleeping rough in the area he was found and they are not treating the unknown males death as suspicious. According to recent reports from the Stoke Sentinal in an article titled “Mystery of unknown man with dragon tattoo found dead in North Staffordshire” “Although nearby businesses said they had spotted homeless people in the area previously, none had been seen in the lead-up to the man’s death.”
We know he was wearing a white George slim fit shirt, dark blue denim Pierre Cardin jeans, a black belt and black Kicker style shoes in a size nine and found nearby was a yellow jacket and a blue Tog 24 jacket nearby.
Detective Sergeant Kate Gater, of Staffordshire Police’s Criminal Investigations Department, gave evidence at the hearing into the mans death said “A top-to-toe search of the deceased’s body did not reveal ID of any kind,” she explained. “We sent a description of the deceased and his clothing to the Missing Persons Unit to see if we could find any matches, but this was unsuccessful. Sketches of the deceased and his identifiable tattoo were shared with the press and the missing persons database. Unfortunately, we did not receive any useful tips.
“The deceased’s fingerprints were unusable as a form of identification thanks to the decomposition. Using his dental records was also not viable, as we had no way of knowing which dentist he went to – we would have to check with every dentist in the country.
“DNA samples were taken but there were no positive matches with the police database. We searched the DNA databases of 23 other countries for a match, but this again proved unsuccessful.”
they also added: “It was unusual place to discover a body, as it wasn’t an area where people would go walking unless they had business there. Dog walkers and the like do not frequent the area. The unit had been empty for around three months before the man was discovered, so no workers had visited recently.”
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: “We have released an image of a dragon tattoo in the hope that someone can help us identify a man who was found dead.
“We were called to Crackley on 6 February this year following reports of a sudden death. Sadly, the body of a man was found at the scene. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
“We are still working hard to formally identify the man and are asking anyone who recognises the dragon tattoo to get in touch with us. The tattoo was on his upper left shoulder.
What is unusual is the fact that there are no reports of camping equipment found with the unidentified male or around the area he was found, and there is no public indication that the unknown male had found a spot to sleep and store items. So where did he sleep prior to this? Was he recently made homeless or was he just drifting in and out of towns looking for a place to stay?
in regards to the mans death Dr Lockyer said “The findings and circumstances in which he was found point towards hypothermia being the cause of death,” he explained. “The gentleman wasn’t wearing clothing that was appropriate for the time of year. He was also found outside. And the haemorrhaging in his stomach also points towards hypothermia.
“There are also two peculiar symptoms that point towards hypothermia. The first is paradoxical undressing. This is when an individual undresses despite being in low temperatures. When you become cold, you start shivering. This is a mechanism to try and raise your temperature.
“If you continue to get colder, the shivering ceases, and the part of the brain which regulates temperatures stops working properly. As a result, patients begin feeling hot instead of cold, leading them to undress further.
“Hypothermia patients also display what is known as ‘hide and die’ syndrome. This is an unusual behaviour, which is a kind of terminal burrowing syndrome. It’s not very well understood, but people who die from hypothermia are often found underneath things. We believe this is a primitive reflex, where the body is driven to try and find somewhere warm, like an animal seeking shelter for hibernation.”
Coroner Fiona Gingell concluded: “In the absence of any other relevant findings and in light of all the evidence, I’m satisfied this gentleman sadly died from the cold.
“Hypothermia is entirely consistent with both the pathology report and the evidence from the police investigation. He was found in early February wearing inappropriate clothing. His behaviour is consistent with the paradoxical undressing explained by Dr Lockyer.
“Having considered all the police evidence, it’s clear to me that all reasonable and proportionate steps have been taken to try and identify this gentleman. But sadly, that has not been possible. His identity remains unknown.”
Police investigations are currently on hold until new evidence comes to light, as ‘all lines of enquiry have been exhausted’.
Details
Pre-mortem Injuries: Unknown
Post-mortem Injuries: Unknown
Case number: 23-002270
Type: Body
Gender: Male
Age range: 45 – 55
Ethnicity: White European
Height: 175cm – 183cm (5 ft 8 ins – 6 ft 0 ins)
Build: Slim
Shoe Size: 9 UK
Date found: 06 February 2023
Circumstances: Body Found On 6th Feb 2023. He was Located Between An Industrial Unit And A Wooded Area And Was Potentially Sleeping Rough.
Cause of Death: paradoxical undressing lead to hypothermia – non suspicous
Possessions: None Reported
Town: Crackley
Locality: Rosevale Road
County: New Castle Under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England
Police force: Staffordshire police
Hair type: Unknown
Hair colour: Grey Hair
Facial Hair: Stubble
Eye colour (left): Unknown
Eye colour (right): Unknown
Case information: No Information Available
Distinguishing features:
Tattoo – Dragon – Back – Left – Large dragon tattoo on left shoulder
Clothing:
- Belt – Belt – Unknown – Leather belt
- Footwear – Unknown – Unknown – Kicker style shoes, ‘Urban Territory’ size 9
- Jacket – Unknown – Unknown – Yellow jacket with grey hood inside
- Jacket – Unknown – Unknown – ‘Tog24’ jacket
- Shirt/blouse – Shirt – Unknown – ‘George’ slim fit shirt
- Trousers – Jeans – Unknown – Dark blue ‘Pierre Cardin’ jeans
Jewellery: None
Body Parts: N/A
Bone Details: No Information Available
DNA: “DNA samples were taken but there were no positive matches with the police database. We searched the DNA databases of 23 other countries for a match, but this again proved unsuccessful.”
Dentals: unable to obtain a match
Fingerprints: no finger prints available due to decomposition
Toxicology: No Information Available
Maps:
Police Appeals
Staffordshire Police “New image released in appeal to help identify man found dead in Newcastle“
Staffordshire Police Appeal
Published:00:0026/01/2024
Updated:00:0026/01/2024
We have released a new artist’s impression in the hope that someone can help us identify a man who was found dead in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
We were called to Rosevale Road, Crackley, on 6 February last year following reports of a sudden death. Sadly, the body of a man was found outside a business unit. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
We are still working hard to formally identify the man and are asking anyone who recognises the likeness in the image, or the dragon tattoo that we previously released in relation to our investigation (also pictured), to get in touch with us.
The tattoo was on his upper left shoulder. He is described as white, aged between 45 to 55 and had grey hair with a stubble.
He was wearing a white George slim fit shirt, dark blue denim Pierre Cardin jeans, a black belt and black shoes in a size nine.
We also found a yellow jacket and a blue Tog 24 jacket nearby, which may also belong to the man.
Anyone with any information is asked get in touch with us through Live Chat on our website, or call 101, quoting incident number 184 of 6 February 2023.
To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Staffordshire Police “Appeal to help identify man found dead in Newcastle“
Published:15:1225/07/2023
We have released an image of a dragon tattoo in the hope that someone can to help us identify a man who was found dead in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
We were called to Crackley on 6 February this year following reports of a sudden death.
Sadly, the body of a man was found at the scene. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
We are still working hard to formally identify the man and are asking anyone who recognises the dragon tattoo pictured to get in touch with us.
The tattoo was on his upper left shoulder. He was described as white, aged between 45 to 55 and had grey hair with a stubble.
He was wearing a white George slim fit shirt, dark blue denim Pierre Cardin jeans, a black belt and black shoes in a size nine.
We also found a yellow jacket and a blue Tog 24 jacket nearby which may also belong to the man.
Anyone with any information is asked get in touch with us through Live Chat on our website – www.staffordshire.police.uk – or call 101, quoting incident number 184 of 6 February.
To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Credits
Stoke Sentinel “Mystery surrounds identity of man with dragon tattoo found dead six months ago“
Stoke Sentinel “Mystery of unknown man with dragon tattoo found dead in North Staffordshire“
Planet Unidentified 
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