Facial reconstruction of man found in Welsh reservoir released by police

A facial reconstruction of a man whose body was found in a reservoir has been released by police more than a year after he was discovered.

The unidentified man, who was wearing a wetsuit, is believed to have been in the water for up to 12 weeks before he was found by a walker at Claerwen Reservoir, Powys, in October 2024.

Dyfed-Powys Police have released the facial reconstruction, created by Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University, in the hopes someone will recognise him.

Detective Inspector Anthea Ponting, who has led the investigation, said: “When the discovery was reported to us, we immediately got to work on establishing who this man was.

“In the absence of any personal belongings other than the wetsuit he was wearing, no identification documents or vehicles nearby, we began by working with neighbouring police forces to conduct checks for missing or wanted people who had not been traced.

“When this was unsuccessful, we extended our inquiries to contact all UK forces, ran searches through the Police National Database, and issued bulletins to police overseas through Interpol.

“We have also searched DNA, fingerprint and dental records for potential matches, and issued public and media appeals for information.

“Each time we have reached out to the public, we’ve been provided with some lines of inquiry to follow-up on, but unfortunately none have proven to be the key to finding out who this person is.”

There were no other items of clothing, jewellery or modes of transport in the area when the man was found, and he had no distinguishing marks such as scars or tattoos.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the man was aged between 30 and 60, around 6ft tall, weighing 202-220lb, and of white European descent.

Loved one

Ms Ponting added: “I urge anyone who thinks they might recognise him to come forward.

“This is someone’s family member – someone’s loved one – and I would like nothing more than to return him to his loved ones who might be missing him.”

Anyone who visited Claerwen Reservoir between July and October 18 2024 and saw anything that might help inquiries, or is aware of someone who has not been seen for some time and matches the description, can contact Dyfed-Powys Police on 101.

Or the independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.