UK UK - Staffordshire, White Male, 23-39, torticollis (wry neck), buried on his knees, Mar'71

[MelmothTheLost]

Date of Discovery: March 27, 1971
Location of Discovery: Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Estimated Date of Death: up to 15 months prior
State of Remains: Skeletal
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 23-39 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'8"
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Brown, short.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: The man suffered from torticollis - a neck condition that would have caused his head to lean to his right. His chin may have noticeably stuck out.

Identifiers
Dentals: Unknown. Upper dentures and extensive dental work on the bottom teeth.
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Socks.
Jewelry: Gold wedding ring.
Additional Personal Items: None.

Circumstances of Discovery
A passer-by found a partially buried skull in a field near a mill in Burton upon Trent, Staffs, in March 1971. The rest of the body was discovered in a shallow grave. The buried body was in a kneeling position with his hands and ankles tied.

He was ruled out as being the remains of John Henry Jones in 2017.

874UMUK

 

[Legally Bland]

The found date is one day different, but this must be the same UID.

Case 06-024611

• 

Gender
Male

Age range
24 - 36

Ethnicity
White European

Height
172cm - 172cm

Build
Thin

Date found
26 March 1971

Body or remains
Body

Circumstances
Male body was found in a shallow grave in a field off Newton Road, Burton. It is believed he had been there for 9 to 12 months. He has a partial upper denture and had extensive dental work done less than 6 months before his death. his hands were small with well kept short nails.

Hair
Brown - Straight - Short

Eye colour
Unknown

Distinguishing features
Peculiarity - Deformed - Neck - Had A Neck Condition (Torticollis) That Would Cause His Head To Lean To The Right

Clothing
Hose - Socks - Multi - Unknown - Mustard Coloured Heel And Toe With The Remainder A Pinkish Beige Colour

Jewellery
Ring - 1 - Ladies 9ct Gold Wedding Ring On Right Finger Manufactured In 1967/1968 By Henry Showell Ltd


ETA: Forgot link

UK Missing Persons Unit

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Yes, it's the same chap. He's intrigued me for quite a few years because the posture in which he was buried seems to have an element of ritual. It's not the most practical way of digging a "shallow grave" since it would need to be at least 4 feet deep.

 

[zedda]

I had not heard the term 'wry neck' in years, and never 'torticollis'. Had to look it up! (Wryneck, a type of small woodpecker, btw!)

 

[dotr]

Link includes very large pic.
Trying to solve Fred the Head, our oldest missing person case
Nov 2017
"We know he was found naked on an island in the River Trent, off Newton Road, Winshill, partially buried in a kneeling position and with his hands and ankles tied behind his back on March 27, 1971. All he was wearing were pink socks and a ladies gold wedding ring".
"Fred the Head: the book

The case has also been the subject of a book written by a veteran court reporter.

In 2008, the Burton Mail reported that a book had been written about the case by Michael Posner. He spoke to detectives who investigated the case at the time, including Mr Hough, the man who bore the brunt of the frustration of the team assigned to solve the mystery. He also published police photographs of the body for the first time.

He recalled how lead after lead was pursued during the investigation and was ultimately dismissed, including the then-plausible theory that the body was that of a Michael Edge, a milkman and father of three from Watford who went missing at around the time the mystery man in the grave may have died. Mr Edge has never been traced, but that story is another unsolved mystery.

Mr Posner told the Burton Mail at the time: "I'm absolutely convinced that it was either one or two local people.

"They must have known where to go; it must have been someone who knew exactly how to get there."

 

[MelmothTheLost]

"We know he was found naked on an island in the River Trent, off Newton Road, Winshill, partially buried in a kneeling position and with his hands and ankles tied behind his back on March 27, 1971. All he was wearing were pink socks and a ladies gold wedding ring".

Oh this is interesting. I'd not read in such precise detail where he was found before. It has to be somewhere this area:

Google Maps

Also interesting: he was partially buried - which means that his grave was not dug as deep as I'd expected. Since he was in situ for a year or more before he was found, he must have been left in a remote and inaccessible spot for someone not to have found him previously. Also, being buried on an island probably means his exposed body parts weren't predated by mammals though they probably were by birds.

But an island. And bound hand and foot and buried in a kneeling position. Dunno, if I was a little more bonkers than I am I might start to think it actually could have ritual elements.

What do we make of him wearing a woman's wedding ring? Is there something which would differentiate it absolutely from a man's ring other than size (and would that be definitive - surely there'd be a point of crossover)?

Think I might have to put this book on my wish list.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Available on Amazon, both paperback and Kindle editions:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fred-Head-...qid=1538076199&sr=8-13&keywords=fred+the+head

 

[Bit of hope]

Riddle of kneeling body in pink socks found 46 years ago

Picture of the scene where the body was discovered in 1971 in the Staffordshire village of Winshill, near Burton upon Trent. More pics in the article.

 

[Bit of hope]

37 years and still no clues

Article with a picture of (what I believe) the remains found. It looks like the skull is near the body, but I'm not very good in analyzing pictures/remains.

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

What do we make of him wearing a woman's wedding ring? Is there something which would differentiate it absolutely from a man's ring other than size (and would that be definitive - surely there'd be a point of crossover)?

Damnit, Melmoth! You made me look for wedding rings!

Well, size is a big factor, but also design. I reckon this particular ring is from the 60s and earlier and therefore less edgy and more traditional than the wedding rings we have today, so the shape of the ring should be smaller in both size and width. Perhaps with a diamond or two, but that would be a bit fancy. It should also have an inscription of some sort. "YOUR JOHN/JANE", or something like that.

 

[dotr]

In another book featuring this case, they suggest that something about the appearance of the reconstruction of the skull might indicate he could be Eastern European.
Unsolved Murders in and Around Derbyshire

 

[dotr]

37 years and still no clues

Article with a picture of (what I believe) the remains found. It looks like the skull is near the body, but I'm not very good in analyzing pictures/remains.

The link has a bit more detail too. rbbm.

“The body was buried in a pit about four feet down and covered over, but this man’s dog started digging at the ground and uncovered the skull.

“The body was sitting on its haunches and had been in the ground for about nine months.”

The dead man was naked apart from a pair of pink socks and a wedding ring which was later traced to the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham.

A cord was tied around his wrists and another tied his ankles together.


Both were found to come from Bradford, West Yorkshire.

 

[Bit of hope]

Oh this is interesting. I'd not read in such precise detail where he was found before. It has to be somewhere this area:

Google Maps

Also interesting: he was partially buried - which means that his grave was not dug as deep as I'd expected. Since he was in situ for a year or more before he was found, he must have been left in a remote and inaccessible spot for someone not to have found him previously. Also, being buried on an island probably means his exposed body parts weren't predated by mammals though they probably were by birds.

But an island. And bound hand and foot and buried in a kneeling position. Dunno, if I was a little more bonkers than I am I might start to think it actually could have ritual elements.

What do we make of him wearing a woman's wedding ring? Is there something which would differentiate it absolutely from a man's ring other than size (and would that be definitive - surely there'd be a point of crossover)?

Think I might have to put this book on my wish list.

Could it be Burton Island..not sure. Being on an island means a boat involved.

About the woman's wedding ring...there is no inscription mentioned or maybe there was once but not readable. He had small hands so it could have been only size. My imagination is going on "the loose" here. He wanted people to believe he was married, he liked a girl but didn't dare to ask her and kept the ring, he carried his wives ring after she died.

 

[Bit of hope]

The link has a bit more detail too. rbbm.

“The body was buried in a pit about four feet down and covered over, but this man’s dog started digging at the ground and uncovered the skull.

“The body was sitting on its haunches and had been in the ground for about nine months.”

The dead man was naked apart from a pair of pink socks and a wedding ring which was later traced to the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham.

A cord was tied around his wrists and another tied his ankles together.


Both were found to come from Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Confusing, in the other article they say:

The degree of decomposition suggested the body had been buried years, even decades, earlier.

 

[dotr]

Thinking about the ring worn on his right hand and wondering if that might be a hint about his ethnicity. In some cultures it is the custom to wear a wedding ring on the right hand.
Although it seems slightly silly, but since his head veered to the right maybe that played a role as to on which hand the ring would be worn?
imo, speculation.
Cultural Differences: Wearing Wedding Rings on the Left or the Right Hand
Where in the World…?

Today, when you travel internationally or meet people from different countries, you will notice wedding rings worn on both the left and right hands.



On the Left
Couples wear wedding rings on their left hands in many Western countries, such as the North America, South America, and European nations including the UK, Italy, France, and Slovenia. In the United States, women (and some men) wear both engagement rings and wedding bands on the left ring finger; how the rings are stacked depends on the bride’s personal preference. In Asian countries, people also tend to wear the band on the left hand.

On the Right
Traditional Indian practice is to wear the wedding ring on the right hand, because the left hand is considered unclean. However, modern Indians may wear the ring on the left hand to match the custom in countries such as the United States. In many Northern and Eastern European countries, including Denmark, Norway, Russia, Poland, and Bulgaria, it is more common to wear the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the right hand. In Portugal, Spain, and Greece, the right hand is also customary.

A Combination
In Brazil, the fiancé and fiancée wear plain bands as engagement rings on their right hands, and upon saying their vows, they switch their rings to the left hand. Couples in Germany and Netherlands often do the opposite: sporting engagement rings on the left hand and wedding rings on the right.

In the Jewish tradition, the groom slips the ring on the right index finger of the bride because it is the most prominent finger. Today, the bride typically moves the band to her ring finger after the ceremony.

Geography..
Riddle of kneeling body in pink socks found 46 years ago

"The site of the makeshift grave also baffled police.
Today, it is 100 yards from busy Newton Road.
Back then, there were only two routes to the spot, once the site of a flint mill.
One was across a bridge that was gated and locked on both sides. It is unlikely the killers used that walkway.

The other route was across Burton bridge, along a rough track and through fields."

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

Excellent sleuthing, @dotr!

I've checked male mps of every Eastern European country (and a few Eurasian ones) on Interpol's page + all male mps on DoeNetwork, but any remotely close to a candidacy being this John Doe has to be stretched... A lot.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Excellent sleuthing, @dotr!

I've checked male mps of every Eastern European country (and a few Eurasian ones) on Interpol's page + all male mps on DoeNetwork, but any remotely close to a candidacy being this John Doe has to be stretched... A lot.

Even if this man had "Eastern European" features (which has to be just conjecture until he actually is identified) we should not necessarily assume he had recently come from Eastern Europe. His age estimate was 23-39, which places his birth between between 1931 and 1947 give or take. He could have come to the UK as refugee as a child fleeing the Nazis or a teenager or adult fleeing Stalin. He could even have been born here to parents who were themselves from Eastern Europe.

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

There are several scenarios here, I agree. The UK has a long tradition of immigration. We must not forget that this was also Cold War era and emigration from many countries in the Eastern Bloc were restricted. The 1960s saw a wave of migrant workers from countries like Turkey, Yugoslavia, and so on.
I've also thought of the possibility that he could be an agent or defector (kinda like the Isdal Woman, if that is her background), even one of the various British, Irish or Romani travellers (although I don't know how this fits with the dental information).

 

[Al Ka]

Jewellery
Ring - 1 - Ladies 9ct Gold Wedding Ring On Right Finger Manufactured In 1967/1968 By Henry Showell Ltd traced to Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham

Date of Discovery: March 26 or 27, 1971
Location of Discovery: Burton upon Trent

Based on this it is fair to say we are looking for someone who disappeared shortly after getting wedding ring and between 67/68 - 1971.
===
Location where he was found and how to get there - Back then, there were only two routes to the spot, once the site of a flint mill.
- One was across a bridge that was gated and locked on both sides. It is unlikely the killers used that walkway.
- The other route was across Burton bridge, along a rough track and through fields.

Mr Posner said: “I’m absolutely convinced that it was either one or two local people. They must have known where to go. It must have been someone who knew exactly how to get there.”

Riddle of kneeling body in pink socks found 46 years ago

And cord killer/s used came from Bradford, West Yorkshire.
===
3 theories comes to mind
- done by wife's family or someone known to her
- done due to crime involvement
- politics (in 68' big revolution in Eastern Europe - many ran to west)

Another thought, maybe it is worth checking any divorces in absentia of local women in that and following years timeframe.

 

[Bit of hope]

Jewellery
Ring - 1 - Ladies 9ct Gold Wedding Ring On Right Finger Manufactured In 1967/1968 By Henry Showell Ltd traced to Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham

Date of Discovery: March 26 or 27, 1971
Location of Discovery: Burton upon Trent

Based on this it is fair to say we are looking for someone who disappeared shortly after getting wedding ring and between 67/68 - 1971.
===
Location where he was found and how to get there - Back then, there were only two routes to the spot, once the site of a flint mill.
- One was across a bridge that was gated and locked on both sides. It is unlikely the killers used that walkway.
- The other route was across Burton bridge, along a rough track and through fields.

Mr Posner said: “I’m absolutely convinced that it was either one or two local people. They must have known where to go. It must have been someone who knew exactly how to get there.”

Riddle of kneeling body in pink socks found 46 years ago

And cord killer/s used came from Bradford, West Yorkshire.
===
3 theories comes to mind
- done by wife's family or someone known to her
- done due to crime involvement
- politics (in 68' big revolution in Eastern Europe - many ran to west)

Another thought, maybe it is worth checking any divorces in absentia of local women in that and following years timeframe.

Done by husband or family of the woman he was cheating with?