Body found buried near river could be Llangollen man missing for 47 years

Detectives have appealed for help to trace family or friends of John Henry Jones, 27, who went missing from George Avenue in Trevor, near Llangollen, in 1970.

Det Insp Dan Ison, of Staffordshire Police, is investigating the case of an unidentified man buried in a shallow grave in Burton-upon-Trent in March 1971 and made an appeal on BBC’s Crimewatch Roadshow.

A little after 7.30pm on March 27, 1971, an off-duty special constable made a grim discovery while walking in the Newton Road area of Burton-on-Trent.

He saw a fragment of bone, which turned out to be the skull of a man buried in a shallow grave close to the River Trent.

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said despite previous appeals and investigations police had never been able to identify the man, who was found buried with his hands tied behind his back.

Although the man’s body was discovered in March 1971, it was estimated he had been buried for between six and 12 months – so would have been brought to the site in 1970.

Det Insp Ison has worked closely with Professor Caroline Wilkinson of Liverpool University – a renowned expert in facial reconstruction – in a bid to resolve the mystery.

The latest technology and methods have been used to reconstruct ‘Fred’, as he is known by detectives.

Det Insp Ison is also using familial DNA analysis in a bid to ID the man.

Staffordshire Police is only the second force to use this process to identify a body.

Familial DNA generates possible parental and sibling matches from DNA extracted from the man's bone.

“Someone knows this man's identity. He's someone's brother or friend or son and, despite the passing of so many years, we are determined to find out who he is,” he said

“This is the key to unlocking this mystery. Forty-six years is a long time, but we have never given up on trying to solve this case.

“We’d appeal for anyone who has information that might help to come forward and talk to us.”