A coroner has confirmed that a mummified man discovered in Suffolk in 2020 died from a violent assault. The remains, known as The Croft Man, were found by a dog walker in the River Stour on August 27, 2020.
Discovery of the remains
Julie Dunn-Beechin was walking her dogs when she spotted two black bin bags in the water. Her dogs began sniffing around, and she said it 'didn't seem right', prompting her to call the park ranger. She joked she may have been watching 'too many Midsomer Murders' but was concerned.
Samuel Morgan, the ranger, told the court he looked through a small hole in the bag to see 'what I thought looked like mummified skin and bone'. Inside the bag were also rocks, bricks, and what appeared to be 'a partially dissolved Toilet Duck soap', as well as an arm ball joint.
Police investigation
Police were called, and a fingertip search of the riverbed two days later uncovered a third bag. Police divers also discovered skull fragments, bones, and teeth in a plastic bag around 150 metres along the river. Superintendent Mike Brown of Suffolk Police told the inquest they estimated the bags were dropped around two weeks before, between August 13 and 19.
Radiocarbon dating suggests The Croft Man was born before the early 1950s and died between 2008 and 2012, likely in his 60s or 70s. DNA testing indicated a white northern European male with blonde or light hair and blue or green eyes.
Coroner's ruling
Senior coroner Nigel Parsley ruled that the man died from a 'violent assault'. He noted that the removal of his hands and other injuries to his head 'appear to have been an attempt to hamper his identification'. He concluded it was 'more likely than not the Croft Man was unlawfully killed'.
'We must remember that the Croft Man was somebody's son,' Parsley added. 'He lived for 60 to 70 years. He may well have had family, he almost certainly had friends. It's a tragedy we cannot identify him as there must be some loved ones somewhere wondering where their loved one is.'
Pathologist's findings
Pathologist Dr Ginni Fitzpatrick-Swallow could not give a specific cause of death but said there had been 'multiple blows to the head'. She added: 'To completely destroy a skull like that seems from a dismemberment point of view unnecessary.'
Superintendent Brown said the most likely hypothesis is 'a criminal element', suggesting the person could have 'skill in butchery'. He continued: 'Our victim has likely met a violent and unnatural death. Because of the length of storage, the individual could have been found in a state by somebody who doesn't want to come to the attention of police and has tried to dispose of them by throwing them away.'
There have been no matches in any national or international database for missing people or criminal activity, so his identity remains unknown.
