Unidentified man in wetsuit found at Claerwen Reservoir two years on
A man's body found in a Welsh reservoir in October 2024 remains unidentified despite DNA checks, Interpol appeals and a digital facial reconstruction.
Mystery at Claerwen: wetsuit body still unidentified after two years
Dyfed-Powys Police have renewed their appeal for information over a man whose body was discovered in a wetsuit at Claerwen Reservoir in Powys on 17 October 2024, bbc.co.uk reports. Officers believe he had been in the water for up to 12 weeks before a dog walker found him.
The man was wearing a black XL Zone 3 Agile wetsuit. Initial examination placed his age between 30 and 60, his height at around 6ft (1.83m), and his weight between 202lbs and 220lbs (91.5kg to 99.5kg). He was of white European descent and had no distinguishable scars or tattoos. No jewellery, additional clothing or means of transport was found in the surrounding area.
Detective Inspector Anthea Ponting, who has led the investigation, described the case as a "highly unusual situation." Despite extensive searches and multiple rounds of public appeals in the UK and abroad, nobody has come forward to identify the man.
Detectives first asked UK police forces to cross-reference their missing persons databases and checked the man's DNA and fingerprints against national records. When those searches yielded nothing, investigators turned to the National Crime Agency's broader missing persons register. They subsequently contacted Interpol, which circulated international appeals to 24 European countries.
Specialists used photographs, dental records and CT scans to produce a digital recreation of the man's face. The facial depiction work revealed that he had protruding teeth, a left-sided cross bite, a rounded chin, a square jawline and a down-turned nose.
Claerwen Reservoir is a remote location in mid-Wales where, according to local accounts, visitor numbers remain low even during summer. That isolation has complicated the inquiry, making it harder to establish why the man was there or how he entered the water.
DI Ponting acknowledged that previous appeals had reached a significant audience in the UK and overseas, but expressed hope that, two years on, the renewed effort might connect with the right person. "Someone must know who this man is," she said. "Maybe you recognise him from the digital image, or maybe you visited Claerwen Reservoir and saw something that stands out in your mind — whatever it is, it might help to progress our enquiries."
Anyone with information is being urged to contact Dyfed-Powys Police.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)