Who was Cleveland Man? Anniversary appeal to identify man found dead on the edge of Hartlepool more than four decades ago
A new appeal has been made to end a decades old mystery surrounding the identity of a man found dead on the edge of Hartlepool.
On the evening of August 30, 1981, a family out walking on the A178 Graythorp to Seal Sands Road discovered his body hanging from a tree.
Despite extensive investigations and publicity, his identity has never been confirmed.
Now volunteer investigators with Locate International, a charity which looks into cold cases of missing and unidentified people, have launched an anniversary appeal for information and released a new living depiction of how he may have looked.
The man was believed to have died within the previous 24 hours and his death certificate shows an open verdict was recorded.
While the police did not suspect third party involvement, it could not be ruled out.
For the past three years, Locate International has been looking closely into the case, known as Cleveland Man, and has discounted two possible matches for his identity.
Launching the new appeal, Mark Greenhalgh, Locate International’s chief executive, said: “It’s now more than four decades since Cleveland Man was found and he would have been in his mid to late 60s now.
“Even after all this time, it’s not too late to solve this case and reunite him with his identity.
“No detail is too small, and can help send our investigation in a new direction or confirm something we already knew.
“In 40 years, a lot can change: from allegiances to relationships.
"But if you are unsure about contacting us, you can do so anonymously if you wish.”
The man was aged about 21 to 25, around 5ft 6ins (168cm) tall, of slim build and of apparent northern European origin, with blue/grey eyes, “mousey” brown/blond collar length hair and facial stubble.
He had scars on the right side of his pelvis and on the outside of his left kneecap.
The charity adds: “Interestingly, there was also evidence of expensive and high-quality gold and porcelain dentistry that may have been performed abroad or in a dental hospital.”
Inside his Adidas country training shoes, which had green stripes, the name “Sayer” was apparently written in biro although another similar spelling cannot be discounted.
Contact Locate International by emailing [email protected], by calling 0300 102 1011 (in the UK) or by visiting https://locate.international/unidentified-people/cleveland-man