'Two years and we are no closer to knowing who this person is': Inquest into mystery reservoir death adjourned

A liver sample taken from an unknown man's body found in a Powys reservoir two years ago is to be examined, a coroner has ordered.

Dyfed-Powys Police issued a renewed appeal for information last week to identify the man, whose body was found in a reservoir in October 2024.

The man was reported to have been found at Claerwen Reservoir by a dog walker on October 17.

Coroner for South Wales Central Patricia Morgan adjourned the inquest into the man's death today (October 22) for more investigations to be carried out.

The adjournment came after pathologist Dr Stephen Leadbetter said although there was no fluid for analysis in the man's body, he had given some stomach content, brain tissue and a liver sample to the crime scene investigators.

Detective Inspector Anthea Ponting from Dyfed Powys Police, who has led the investigation, told the inquest at Pontypridd Coroner's Court that they had not analysed the liver sample for water diatoms and no water samples had been taken from the scene at the time of the body's discovery or since.

Dr Leadbetter said the presence of certain diatoms, which are microscopic, single-celled algae enclosed in a transparent, glass-like cell wall made of hydrated silica, may help in establishing the circumstances of how long the man had been in the water although it would not help with identifying him.

The man was wearing a black extra large Zone 3 Agile wetsuit, and it was estimated that he had been in the water for up to 12 weeks.

An inquest was opened and adjourned on February 24, 2025, and Ms Morgan said the inquest was unusual as there were no interested persons identified at this stage and so none were in the coroner's court.

Police Sergeant Horlock told the inquest he was on duty on October 18, 2024, when a call was received that a body had been found in the water at the Elan Valley.

He went to the scene and initially there was confusion about where the caller was because of the huge area. He said the ambulance service and fire service were at the scene and there was a white Volkswagen Golf with a male from Nuneaton. A drone was used to find the caller, a man on a path with his dog, but a landslide made it difficult for them to reach him.

Eventually they walked about a mile to reach him and the body.

PS Horlock described the body as being at a natural “wash up point”. The man was laying on his back, face up and he had a wetsuit on with nothing on his hands and feet and his head was “quite badly decomposed”.

He said the man was very pale and almost yellow in colour.

He said the body was taken back to the car park where the ambulance service confirmed he was dead.

PS Horlock said crime scene investigators were also there and they undertook a search but there were no personal items or a vehicle around. He said he had no other part in the investigation.

A report from Dr Sally Andrews, a forensic odontologist, was read at the inquest.

Dr Andrews said she did not think the man had received dental care for several years, he probably have been aged between 40 and 60 and he may have suffered dental pain. She said the man's molars had “conical root presence” which would be unusual for white Europeans.

Giving evidence to the inquest Dr Leadbetter said he found nothing in the external examination of the body that could not be explained by changes that had occurred due to the man being in the water.

He said the wetsuit the man was found in may have altered the decomposition of the body, making a post-mortem exam less precise. He said in his opinion the wetsuit fitted the man but it did not fully cover his shins or arms.

His internal investigation of the body found nothing that could help to identify the man, such as old surgery marks and there was no evidence of any injury but the condition of the organs, particularly the brain, meant it was impossible to come to a view as to how the organs looked before. He said there were no signs of bleeding in the brain.

Dr Leadbetter said he could not say if the man died in the water or before he went into the water, or give a cause of death, and he said it was almost impossible to say how long he had been in the water.

DI Ponting said an investigation has seen all reasonable and proportionate lines of enquiry carried out to date but the man’s identity remains a mystery.

She said on the day the body was found crime scene investigators carried out enquiries at the scene including cars at car parks in the area being checked and reviewed, and none required follow up checks.

She said there was no relevant CCTV coverage of the site, drones were used on the day and on several occasions since including this summer as water levels were so low.

She said the day after the body was found the National Police Air Service flew over the site to see if any vehicles or personal items could be seen and more checks were carried out at the car parks.

“We have consulted with the Elan Valley Trust, Welsh Water and local farmers and we have checked for any lost property with the Elan Valley Trust and Powys County Council,” she said.

“Welsh Water checks the filters of the reservoir and they have found nothing and there has been a perimeter search by boat several times, a police search team has also checked the perimeter and a quarry area has been checked.”

She said there was what could have been a name on a tag found on the wetsuit but the police could not take it any further.

DI Ponting said they have made enquiries with Iron Man Wales in case it was a training event, looked at any Strava or other pictures posted online, and checked DNA with the national database and the missing persons list.

She said the police had submitted a notice through Interpol to forces in 124 European countries and fingerprint enquiries have been conducted across more than 20. Enquiries have been made with the manufacturers of the Zone 3 wetsuit but they said it is a widely-used entry level wetsuit.

DI Ponting said there have been media appeals, a CT scan and a digitised facial image that has also been sent to Interpol.

“We have had a lot of responses from the public and they have been screened and reviewed.

“This is a highly unusual situation in that two years have passed and we are still no closer to knowing who this person is.

“We always keep an open mind. We want to try and identify who he was so we can return him to his family and we want to find out the circumstances of his death.”

DI Ponting said they have considered why he appeared to have no belongings or a vehicle.

“He could have used a dry bag for his belongings and it could have become detached from him, or it could have gone into the reservoir or if it was on a bank for a while, maybe someone inadvertently took it.

“The area is not for swimming but we do know that people do undertake activities like that there.”

Ms Morgan asked questions about the wetsuit and DI Ponting said it has light or white writing on it, it is an XXL size suitable for someone about 200 to 220lbs and it is dark coloured.

She said the police had considered trying familial DNA but it would only give a match if the man was connected to someone in the UK and their DNA was on the database. She said it could give them thousands of results and a lot of officer time would be needed to review them.

She said it had not been possible to take fingerprints off the wetsuit because of the amount of time it had been in the water.

Ms Morgan said she was not satisfied to reach a conclusion and ordered the liver sample be examined to see if it will help her come to a conclusion about the circumstances of the death.

She said she did not know how long it would take but a full inquest will be arranged at a later date.

Previously DI Ponting said: “Someone must know who this man is.

“Our ultimate aim is to identify this man so we can return him to his family or loved ones so he can be laid to rest appropriately.

“Our appeal site remains open for submissions, so if you know something that might help and you haven’t already reported it, please consider getting in touch.”

Anyone who visited Claerwen Reservoir between July and October 18, 2024, and saw anything that might help enquiries, or is aware of someone who has not been seen for some time and matches the description above, should contact Dyfed-Powys Police in one of the following ways: the online Public Portal, email to [email protected], call 101.

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.