POLICE have named a man found dead near a caravan park.

Stephen Hall was 39 and lived with his mother on Fair View, in West Rainton, near Durham City.

Mr Hall's mother was on holiday when his body was found, about two miles from his home, near Finchale Priory, on Monday, May 5.

She discovered he was missing when she returned home late on Sunday night.

Mrs Hall was immediately worried as her son rarely left the house and did not generally mix with other people.

When she reported him missing, police realised the description matched that of the body found earlier in the week.

Mr Hall was formally identified by another relative this morning.

Tonight, his mother declined to comment publicly on her son's death. She was understood to be being comforted by other family members.

Detectives are still treating the death as unexplained. A post mortem examination carried out last week proved inconclusive.

Det Chief Insp Mick Nail appealed for anyone who might have seen Mr Hall to contact the police.

"We still need to establish where Stephen went to after leaving home and how he came to be in the field near Finchale caravan park.

"I would like to hear from anyone who might have seen him in the run-up to the bank holiday Monday."

Mr Hall was wearing a blue polo shirt, black trousers and black Nike trainers when found by a passer-by shortly before 3.30pm on Monday, May 5.

He was lying near a footpath in a field, about 500m from Finchale caravan park. He was white, 6ft 1in, very thin and had a shaven head.

There were several scratches on his face and arm but police said last week they were consistent with Mr Hall having struggled through undergrowth rather than having been assaulted.

Mr Hall's name remained a mystery for almost a week, as media appeals produced few solid leads.

He was not carrying identification and was not registered missing.

A set of fingerprints was taken, but they failed to produce an identity.

However, police repeatedly said they were confident the mystery would be solved.

Last Wednesday, Durham Police issued a drawing of the man's face, produced by a police artist.

Anyone who may have seen Stephen Hall should call Chester-le-Street or Durham CID on 0845-60-60-365.

5:50pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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