Do you know this man? How military community could help solve veteran's nine-year mystery
On 3 February 2017, a man, thought to have served in the Armed Forces, was discovered dead in a field near Hollow Lane, Canterbury.
He is believed to have died two days before of heart disease, thought to have been caused by cirrhosis of the liver, due to starvation.
Now referred to as Canterbury Man, the search for who he is has been relaunched by charity Locate International and they are hoping someone in the Armed Forces community might be able to help.
Was Canterbury Man a veteran?
A witness, who had spoken to Canterbury Man a few times, said they thought he was an English veteran who had separated from his wife and was living in the field where he was discovered.
Due to his ill health, the coroner found it difficult to estimate his age, but he is believed to have been between 40 and 60 years old.
The unidentified man, who was discovered shirtless and without teeth, was found with several items that Locate International hope might be clues to help, after nine years, discover who he is and let his family know.
Found with him were:
:: An unregistered Oyster card bought in Walthamstow
:: A book titled 'Clinical Theology: A Theological and Psychological Basis to Clinical Pastoral Care’ by Frank Lake
:: A decanter and drinking glasses
:: A mobile phone and a black suitcase containing some toiletries – no data could be recovered from the phone
:: A wedding catalogue which was addressed to Mandy Martin
All this information and the image reconstruction was passed to Locate International by the local police after the search for his identity went from an active to a cold case.
Speaking to BFBS Forces News about the renewed appeal to discovered the identity of Canterbury Man, Scarlett Evans, a press officer for Locate International, said: "Even in the instances that perhaps you can't identify someone, knowing that you've done everything that you can... gives people more of a dignity that after you pass, there are still people that are trying to re-identify you."
With tattoos having a long history in the military, used by some serving personnel and veterans to mark their service, the lack of ink on Canterbury Man's body has some believing he might not have served in the Armed Forces.
A call to action
Locate International – which has volunteers from places such as Mexico, Australia and the Netherlands working on UK cases – has been amazed by how willing people have been to help and come forward with "even tidbits of information".
After nine years of uncertainty they are adamant that "nothing is insignificant" and that someone could help rule something out or provide a new lead.
They are hoping a call to action to the military community – in particular where he was found in Canterbury, and Walthamstow where the Oyster card was bought – will provide some new information to help them uncover this man's identity and give him the dignity in death he deserves.
Could DNA help identify Canterbury Man?
Many people on social media have asked the same question when they hear about the search for the man's identity – why can't DNA help identify him?
But, as Scarlett said, it's not always as easy as that, adding: "We watch so many crime shows and you think, oh, you just put the fingerprints on or you swab the mouth and that's it, you've figured out who someone is, and it's not... as straightforward as that.
"Or sometimes people aren't registered or it's not possible to take DNA or sometimes we're not as advanced as we think we are."
Do you recognise Canterbury Man or think you have some information, no matter how small you think it is, that would help identify this man believed to be a veteran?
She said: "It's really amazing what we can remember when we just see someone.
"It's interesting the effect that we can have on people's lives, even through a really brief conversation."
If you think you can help, contact Locate International here.
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