Case Number: 15-006991

Blank Case 482

£20K REWARD FOR INFORMATION ON MURDER VICTIM

a £20,000 reward is being offered by Crimestoppers for information on a white male who may have been bludgoned to death and the reward is only available for a short period of time before it runs out on the 16th of April 2026.

The case of the man found in Clocaenog Forest, Cerrigydrudion, in 2015 has baffled many who have come accross the case. What seems like the demise of a lost hiker or elderly gentleman soon became more notorious than once thought when there were signs of recent head trauma, Police have also estimated the date of death to be around 2004 and 2011 as it is believed the remains had been there for some time and had gone through all the stages of decomposition. The sheer age of the skull that was found is evident in the fact that moss was growing on it when it was uncovered by two men camping near the area.

The story of the mans recovery is like a story out of the popular 90s TV show “Are you Afraid of the dark” and after seeing what the two men found, you would bot blame them if they were scared of the dark.

So let’s go through the story of the Clocaenog Forest Man.

On Saturday the 14th November 2015 and the popular Wales Rally GB was taking place in the forests of Denbighshire, one of those forests become the scene of the incident. As fans surrounded the forests to get a good view of the rally, two brothers decided to camp in Clocaenog Forest for the ultimate view.

Andrew and Mark Middle, who were brothers pitched up their tent and decided because it was a cold and wet night to gather some firewood near Pentre-llyn-Cymmer to keep warm.

Mark noticed a strange looking rock, abnormally rounder than most he had seen and has some moss growing on the top of it, to his horror as he shone his torch on the rock it soon became apparant he was looking at a skull.

Mark got Andrew and both realised the seriousness of what they had found and soon called police to inform them of their horrifying find. Police set up peramitor with police tape and searched the area to recover the rest of the remains, sadly the mans left and right feet were never recovered.

Police noted the remains were in a badly decomposed state and began to piece together what information they had to gather a profile of the unidentified male. Working with scattered remains must have been difficult as not all the clothing found with the body was conclusively identified as the belonging to the undientified male.

It is believed the man may be of white european decent, around 54 – 100 years old (born before 1950), between 5ft 8 inches to 5ft 10 inches tall and of large/stocky build.

A series of age progression images have been released to the public in the hopes to try and identify the man.

Medical Issues

It was noted in the online article released by WalesOnline “£20,000 reward to help solve mystery of man found dead in Welsh woods” that the unidentified male had suffered from a lower back injury that may have caused him some mobility issues and in need to care when healing from such an injury. We know his vertebrae was fused and this would have been something his close relatives would have known about. He surely would have had medication and hospital treatment.

He also had some inflammatory joint condition which again may have affected his mobility, so a man with a number of painful health conditions which he may have taken medication for.

He also had a healed broken nose, a common injury but still something that would ring a bell with someone who may have known him.

Signs of MURDER

Police believe the man may have suffered from a head injury. There were also injuries to his spine and wrists, with some of his teeth broken. It is believed the unidentified man had suffered considerably before his beath but was he dumped in the forrest or was he killed in the forrest?

Mark Pierce, the lead of the force’s Major Crime Review Team, said: “This man was someone’s family member or friend, and we believe there will be people out there who recognise him. Even the smallest piece of information could be crucial in helping us identify him and understand what happened.

We hope that the more comprehensive resources now available will finally allow us to establish this man’s identity. This is the first step in finding out who is responsible for the injuries inflicted. Advances in DNA analysis give us the opportunity to cross-reference samples taken from the victim against a more comprehensive database, potentially yielding a familial link.

We have also created mocked up facial images Which show how the man may have looked in his 50s, 60s and 70s. We are urging anyone who might recognise the man in these images, or who has any information that could assist the investigation, to come forward.

This includes anyone who knew someone who went missing during the mid-2000s and matches the description.”

To make a report, contact North Wales Police via 101, or via our website, quoting ‘Operation Tractile’.

Anyone with information, and who prefers not to speak directly to the police, can pass on what they know whilst staying anonymous via http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling the charity’s 24/7 UK Contact Centre on 0800 555 111.

The most important piece of information needed is this mans name, so we can finally give him some of his dignity back by laying him to rest rightfully. Having a name will also help in providing that golden clue that could potentially uncover a killer.

Solving murder cases is not my cup of tea, but unidentified missing persons cases are my passion and if I can get a suggestion of who this might be it would be a great step forward in getting him the justice he deserves.

If you like what I do and want to support me, please consider buying me a coffee by clicking the link here.

Facts

• Remains
• Male
• 54 – 100 years old
• 5ft 8ins – 5 ft 10 ins (around 180cm)
• Stocky/large/heavy set
• 14 November 2015
• Corwen, Clocaenog Forest, Denbighshire, Wales
• North wales police
• Lower – Injury to spine in mid/lower back
• experienced inflammatory joint condition
• Underpants – Plain – Large, classic briefs from Marks and Spencer, 36″-39″ waist
•  V neck – Plain – Dark Green, XL Pringle Jumper
• Foot – Missing – L & R
• He is believed to have died sometime between 2004 and 2011

Circumstances

The skeletal remains of a male were discovered at Clocaenog Forest, near Corwen, Denbighshire. It is believed the body has been at the location for a number of years. He is believed to have been over 54 years of age at the time of his death, most likely in his 60s, and was born before 1950. Dentistry shows work typical of that carried out in the UK between 1980 and 2000, and he suffered from both athritis and an inflammatory joint condition, which affected his back and a number of other joints. This would likely have given him pain and reduced movement. He had previously suffered an injury to his spine, a broken nose and possibly an injury to his left wrist. Images have been produced to show what it is believed he may have looked like aged 60 (first image), 50 (second) and 70 (third). A badly decomposed pair of Marks and Spencer underpants and dark green Pringle jumper were recovered close to the remains. They may have belonged to the individual, although this cannot be confirmed.

Useful link

£20,000 reward to help solve mystery of man found dead in Welsh woods – https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/20000-reward-help-solve-mystery-33242302?fbclid=IwY2xjawPXZCRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETAwSVdrbHBPYzQ1SWVkeDBmc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHom6d__RQgtjNgeIUHuIELwdpkpSiVGTVTTp_mQFqSeGE218hYJG8yEsD4Xs_aem_Hb6NM6OVYBBjzhG8JqfOpw