Police confident of identifying man found dead near priory

11:02am Friday 9th May 2008

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POLICE say they are confident of identifying a man whose body was found near a caravan park.

The publication of a drawing of his face on Wednesday has resulted in a number of calls.

A walker discovered the body near Finchale Priory, on the outskirts of Durham City, on Monday afternoon.

All attempts to identify the man through the missing persons list and fingerprints have, so far, drawn a blank.

A post mortem examination proved inconclusive and police are treating the death as unexplained.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Nail, of Durham Police, said: "We are waiting for some police forces to come back to us with details of their outstanding missing persons cases, and we are sifting through the responses we have had from other areas.

"Without any positive leads so far, it is difficult to take the investigation forward, but I am confident we will eventually find out who this man is and where he is from."

The man is thought to have been in his early 20s, but could be anywhere between 18 and 30.

He is white, 6ft 1in, very thin and had a shaven head. He was wearing a navy blue polo shirt, black trousers and black trainers.

Anyone who can help is asked to call Durham Police on 0845-60-60-365.