Overview
- Two men found an unidentified man hanging in Coronation Wood in April 1987 and decades of enquiries failed to establish who he was.
- Staffordshire Police and volunteer charity Locate International relaunched a public appeal in 2026 and published contact routes and crime reference 147 of 12/05/2026 for anyone with information.
- Several recent public responses produced a promising new lead that the man may have attended the Friary School swimming pool in Lichfield in the mid-1980s, prompting venue-specific enquiries.
- Investigators are focused on a metal key fob stamped with the number ‘6’ found on the body and on personal items and a distinct description—mid-50s, two lower teeth, Ladbrokes pens and a strong Eastern European accent—to narrow searches.
- Police say old photos, memories or locker images from former pool users or staff could confirm the link and finally identify the man, giving answers to relatives and allowing detectives to pursue next steps in the cold case.