A sketch of the man found in the River Avon in the UK 45 years ago. (Locate International via SWNS)
By Georgia Cook
A charity has released a living depiction of a man found dead in a river nearly half a century ago, carrying a distinctive medallion.
Locate International has appealed to identify the man found by a canoeist traveling down the River Avon, Bristol, on Oct. 14, 1981.
He was discovered fully clothed in the water and carrying a distinctive medallion with him.
Despite extensive police appeals and media reports, the man has never been identified.
He was found near the old British Steel Tar Works on Crews Hole Road in St. George, but investigators believe he had been in the water for several days.
Locate International, a volunteer-run charity that reviews missing and unidentified cases, has released a depiction produced by forensic artist Hew Morrison.
It shows what the man would have looked like when he was alive.
(Locate International via SWNS)
By Talker
According to the charity, the known facts are: the man was about 5'8" tall, had a large build, was aged between 45 and 60 years old, with brown receding hair, blue eyes, and a scar on his abdomen.
The clothes they found him wearing include a brown duffel overcoat and size 53 V-neck sweater with gray and black checked pants.
He had a cotton undergarment buttoned to the neck and wore size 11 lace-up "half length" boots.
Investigators believe the medallion is of particular interest. It is an unusual bronze color and was attached to a 24" bronze-colored chain.
It featured male and female heads with the text: "Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Marie of Russia Married 1874".
While Locate International volunteers have found medals like these commemorating high-profile marriages are not especially rare, they do stand out.
They want to know if anyone remembers, or knows someone who may remember, a person who used to carry a medallion commemorating one of the most high-profile marriages between the British royal family and Romanovs of Russia.
(Locate International via SWNS)
By Talker
Mark Greenhalgh, Locate International's CEO, said: "It's now 45 years since this man was found, and the window to identify him is getting narrower as time goes on.
"If he was still alive, he would be at least 90 years old today, so if you know anyone who lived in Bristol at that time, ask them if they recognize this man. It might be the last chance to identify him and reunite with him his name at last."
This renewed appeal comes months after Locate International asked for information on another case of an unidentified man found in the River Avon 30 years ago.
This second man fell from the Clifton Suspension Bridge on May 19, 1996 and was carrying a red penny whistle, and a paperback copy of "The Greatest Batman Stories".
Members of the public who contacted the charity believed the second man spent time in the St. Pauls area of Bristol.
The charity has 208 active volunteers and last year alone they were able to identify 30 of the 90 missing persons cases they had reviewed.
All of their work totalled 18,840 hours and £211,000 ($283,160) of police work.
They believe both cases can be resolved despite the decades that have passed - all they need is one clue from the public to open new lines of investigation or confirm what they know.
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