We just dont know who he is: Cold case body in bag mystery
news.com.au
August 13, 2016 6:03pm
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Police are making an appeal for information in an effort to identify a man whose decomposed body was found in a cotton fibre style bag in the Tweed River in 2012.
'THE bag a body was found in is distinctive, but the identity of the man remains a mystery.
Police on the NSW-Queensland border have renewed efforts to solve the mystery of an unidentified man whose body washed up on the banks of the Tweed River on November 24, 2012.
All they have to go on is that it was found in a distinctive, custom-made, plaid-patterned sleeping bag made of Indian cotton.'
'Its a case that has Tweed-Byron Local Area Commands Detective Inspector Brendon Cullen flummoxed.
Police cant work out who the man is, much less how he died.'
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Police say this bag, in which the body was found, cant be bought in a store. Source: Supplied
'Insp Cullen this week renewed calls for public information, with the sleeping bag the man was found in the focus.
We just dont know who this guy is, he said.
If we did, it would go a long way towards us finding out what actually happened to him.
You dont often come across deceased people where nobody knows anything about who they are. Often we dont know how they died, but when it comes to knowing who they are we usually have a reasonable idea. Not in this case.'
'The fabric is very distinctive, and its not something youd buy in a shop. Its been homemade, Insp Cullen said.
The bag is about 60cm x 165cm and is made of plaid Indian cotton. The material is blue and off white cheque.
The bag isnt your normal sleeping bag. Its bag-like in its design, but theres no down in it, just cotton. Its stronger than a sheet, its not a surfboard cover. Its just this mysterious bag which happened to have a body in it, Insp Cullen said.'
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The body was clad only in underpants when found in the bag. Source: Supplied
'Were hoping whoever made it or knows where the fabric from might lead us to who he is.
The post mortem carried out immediately after the body was discovered left little to go on.
The body was badly decomposed, and we couldnt really get a line of how and when he had died. The best guesstimate was around the two-week mark, Insp Cullen said.
The man was caucasian, aged between 50 and 70 years, was 163cm tall, and of thin build and had grey hair tied in a ponytail with a blue band. There were no teeth, indicating he may have worn dentures, and nixing the possibility of identifying him through dental records. The man was wearing only a pair of orange and blue underpants.
There was a small trace of alcohol in his system, which may mean he was drinking at a local pub or bought alcohol near where the body was found.
The post mortem couldnt determine the cause of death.'
'But missing persons checks and databases have failed to identify the body although they did locate two other missing people.
The bag is our best lead, but facial recognition technology is an option in the future, because we are just not getting any inroads with traditional means, so we may have to look outside the square, Insp Cullen said.'
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Close-up of the distinctive weave and colour of the sleeping bag. Source: Supplied
'Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.'
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