Latest news with #Zone3Agile
BBC News
24-02-2025
- BBC News
Claerwen Reservoir: Mystery wetsuit death 'not believed suspicious'
The death of an unidentified man found in a wetsuit at a reservoir was "not currently thought to be suspicious", an inquest has been told. Assistant coroner Rachel Knight has called for help in identifying the remains of the man, who was found at Claerwen Reservoir in Powys in October. The inquest in Pontypridd heard how the body was found on 18 October 2024. The court heard Dyfed-Powys Police was continuing to investigate the death and are seeking information from the public in order to identify the body. A post-mortem examination was carried out by Dr Stephen Leadbeatter at the Royal Shrewsbury hospital, but he was not able to find a cause of death.A cause of death "pending further investigation" was Knight said it was necessary to open an inquest into the death of the unidentified Knight said "we don't currently have a next of kin or family."She added "we wish to identify this male and if anyone has any information, please come forward".The body was found just before 08:30 on a Friday morning last October in a remote area of mid-Wales. Investigators suspect it might have been in the vast Claerwen Reservoir for up to 12 weeks - so could have been in the water since as far back as July and in the height of police know is that he is a white man, aged between 30 and 60, and was wearing a Zone 3 Agile the £200 wetsuit was extra large in size, officers expect the man was between 6ft and 6ft 5in (1.83 to 1.96m) tall, weighed between 14 and 15 stone (89 to 95kg) with a 44 to 48in inquest was adjourned until a date to be decided.
The Independent
23-02-2025
- The Independent
Mystery over identity of body in wetsuit found in Welsh reservoir
Detectives are puzzling over the identity of a man whose wetsuit-clad body was found floating in a remote Welsh reservoir – but with no indication of how he arrived there. It is now four months since a member of the public spotted the body in the vast and isolated waters of Claerwen Reservoir on the morning of 18 October. Local residents who frequent the surrounding Powys countryside say they have never seen anyone swim in the reservoir, which was described as 'such a lonely place' rarely visited by tourists. As a result, police suspect that the body may have gone undiscovered in the reservoir for up to 12 weeks. By the time it was found and taken for examination, the corpse was highly decomposed, with DNA and fingerprint testing failing to find any matches. But it is the absence of any further indication of the unknown man's presence at the reservoir which police say is 'highly unusual'. Despite it being a seven-mile walk to the nearest bus stop, detectives have found no abandoned car or bicycle – or even any clothes or personal belongings such as a phone or wallet. All that is known about the man is that he was white, aged between 30 and 60, and was wearing an extra large Zone 3 Agile wetsuit, 'which equates to the wearer possibly being 6ft-6ft5' tall, about 202-220lbs with a 44–48-inch chest', police said. 'It is an unusual situation to be three or four months down the line,' Detective Inspector Anthea Ponting of Dyfed-Powys Police told the BBC. 'In my experience, there are not many missing people cases where we haven't identified the person or identified loved ones after this period of time.' Detectives have asked other police forces across the UK to check their missing person registers, and have also spoken to Interpol, the international criminal policing organisation. Alan Austin, the chair of a local rambling group, told the broadcaster that he has 'never' seen anyone swimming in the water of Claerwen Reservoir. 'It can be extremely dangerous,' he said. 'The water can get very cold, water from the reservoir pours over the dams when it's been raining.' Rosemary Stow, who runs the nearby craft gallery Quillies, said most tourists do not venture past the visitor centre in the nearby Elan Valley, adding: 'You don't see a lot of cars up at Claerwen dam or in the car park below, it is such a lonely place. View more 'People here are asking, has he been dumped there? But if he was dumped why put him in a wetsuit?' Det Insp Ponting said police were keeping an 'open mind', and said: 'It is not a known swimming area but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.' Issuing a fresh appeal for information, Det Insp Ponting said her team was continuing 'to work towards finding out who he was, any family and what happened to him'. She said: 'We would still like to hear from anyone who has visited the Claerwen reservoir, or the surrounding area, between the beginning of July 2024 and October 18, and haven't spoken to police yet. 'We also continue to appeal for anyone who does have information – who thinks that something mentioned could relate to a missing person in their own life/or who they may know – to come forward.'
Telegraph
23-02-2025
- Telegraph
Mystery of body in wetsuit found in Welsh reservoir
Detectives say they are keeping an 'open mind' about the body of a man in a wetsuit found in a remote Welsh reservoir. The body has not been identified since it was discovered in the Claerwen reservoir in Powys on Oct 18 last year. Investigators have asked forces across the country to check registers of missing people, and have spoken to Interpol as the remote area can be popular with tourists. Dyfed-Powys Police said the discovery was 'highly unusual' because no evidence of the deceased's personal belongings, perhaps including an abandoned car or bike, was found. They said the body could have been in the water for as long as 12 weeks before it was discovered. All police know about the man is that he was a white male aged 30 to 60 wearing a Zone 3 Agile wetsuit. As the £200 suit was extra-large, officers believe the man was between 6ft and 6ft 5in (1.83 to 1.96m), weighed between 14 and 15 stone (89-95kg) and had a 44 to 48-inch chest. The working hypothesis is that the man 'entered the water voluntarily' sometime during the summer. In a renewed appeal on Sunday, Det Insp Anthea Ponting said: 'We are keeping an open mind into the circumstances and continue to work towards finding out who he was, any family and what happened to him. 'We would still like to hear from anyone who has visited the Claerwen reservoir, or the surrounding area, between the beginning of July and Oct 18 2024, and [who has not] spoken to police yet. 'We also continue to appeal for anyone who does have information – who thinks that something mentioned could relate to a missing person in their own life/or who they may know – to come forward.' An unusual situation Ms Ponting added: 'We have carried out numerous enquiries, including checking missing people records with other forces and conducting forensic enquiries both locally and wider in conjunction with law enforcement partners. 'Unfortunately, these have not led to the man being identified.' Speaking to the BBC, Ms Ponting said: 'It is an unusual situation to be [in], three or four months down the line. 'In my experience there are not many missing people cases where we haven't identified the person or identified loved ones after this period of time. At this time it is not believed to be any criminal activity.' In July and August, the water in the Claerwen reservoir can be 10C (50F) at the surface, but because of its great depth, much colder further down. Water under 16C (61F) is considered hazardous for cold water shock and signs along the shore warn against swimming or other activities in the water. Claerwen is the largest and most remote of the Elan Valley dams in Powys. It is around 12 miles to the nearest large town of Rhayader. Rosemary Stow, who runs Quillies, a nearby craft gallery, told the BBC that most tourists do not travel further than the visitor centre in the nearby Elan Valley.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
Mystery of body in wetsuit found in reservoir puzzles police
When a walker called 999 to say he had seen a body in a wetsuit floating in a remote reservoir, detectives got to work. Search teams combed the barren marshland on foot near to where he was found while a helicopter and drones searched for any clues on how and why he got there. Investigators have asked UK police forces to check their missing people registers and have spoken to Interpol because the area can be popular with tourists. Despite forensic tests, extensive inquiries and searches and appeals for information, detectives still have not solved the mystery of the man in the wetsuit. Did chapel-goer murder his sister 50 years ago? Why was my dad hunted and killed with a crossbow? How a skeleton prank led police to a body in plain sight He was found just before 08:30 on a Friday morning last October in the eerily still rolling mid-Wales countryside. Investigators suspect he might have been in the vast Claerwen Reservoir for up to 12 weeks - so could have been in the water since as far back as July and in the height of summer. What police say is "highly unusual" about the man in the wetsuit is that no evidence of his personal belongings or an abandoned car or bike were ever discovered. But with no clothes or vehicle found and the nearest bus stop about four hours' walk away, police do think it is unlikely he walked there in his wetsuit. When emergency crews recovered the body, it was highly decomposed and taken to a nearby morgue for examination. Fingerprint and DNA tests failed to find any matches. All police know is he is a white man, aged between 30 and 60, and was wearing a Zone 3 Agile wetsuit. As the £200 wetsuit was extra large in size, officers expect the man was between 6ft and 6ft 5ins (1.83 to 1.96m) tall, weighed between 14 and 15 stone (89-95kg) with a 44–48in chest. It was a blustery February day when we travelled along the single track lane to the top of the reservoir's imposing 183ft (56m) dam. Mist covered the surrounding Powys landscape and there were no birds or other signs of life, beyond a few sheep dotted across the bare hills that belong to a remote farm above. While we visited, a handful of visitors arrived in their cars to walk along the dam and back. We did not see a single walker or cyclist. Even in the height of summer, when police think the man in the wetsuit might have died, locals say visitors to this particular reservoir are few and far between. The nearby town of Rhayader is a cycling and walking hub and a popular stop-off for people driving between north and south Wales. Alan Austin, who chairs a local rambling group and regularly walks in the area, said he has "never" seen anyone swimming in the water of Claerwen Reservoir. "It can be extremely dangerous," he said. "The water can get very cold, water from the reservoir pours over the dams when it's been raining." Other residents asked how someone could get there with no obvious means of transport, and why his belongings would not be found on the shore. Rosemary Stow, who runs craft gallery Quillies, said most tourists do not make it past the visitor centre in the nearby Elan Valley. "You don't see a lot of cars up at Claerwen dam or in the car park below, it is such a lonely place," she said. "People here are asking, has he been dumped there? But if he was dumped why put him in a wetsuit?" The police's working hypothesis is the man "entered the water voluntarily" sometime during the summer. "It is not a known swimming area but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen," Det Insp Anthea Ponting of Dyfed-Powys Police told BBC News. She said her team were keeping an "open mind" on what might have happened, but said police can only base their theories on "known information". In July and August, the water temperature could have been 10C (50F) at the surface, but because of the reservoir's depth it can become far colder. Water under 16C (61F) is considered hazardous for cold water shock and signs along the shore warn against swimming or other water-based activities. Claerwen Reservoir is the largest and most remote of the Elan Valley dams in Powys - and all five help provide Birmingham with its drinking water. These dams are no stranger to deaths - 55 people die in inland waters across Wales every year and the local fire station has a boat for this reason. Police have appealed to the public for help, but the tip offs they had have not given any new leads. "It is an unusual situation to be three or four months down the line," added Det Insp Ponting. "In my experience there are not many missing people cases where we haven't identified the person or identified loved ones after this period of time. "At this time it is not believed to be any criminal activity. We always keep an open mind. "The most important thing for this person is to know who they are and to ascertain how they died, and have that information for their loved ones. "If anyone who hasn't contacted us previously thinks they may know who this male is or have a concern for somebody and they feel they could be this person, please get in touch with us." Man who went missing in Irish Sea thanks searchers No action against two arrested over missing teen Body of mystery man on moor identified
