BBC News. He was a fantastic father and he had lots of patience and time with his son. Thirteen months after the discovery of a man's body on Saddleworth Moor and following a painstaking police investigation, the mystery surrounding his identity has been resolved. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. After an often frustrating and complex police inquiry lasting some 13 months, the man initially given the name 'Neil Dovestone' by mortuary technicians was revealed as London-born, 67-year-old David Lytton, a retired London Underground tube driver. It is three years since dad-of-one Craig Wilcox disappeared, and his family are still searching for answers. His parents reported him missing a few days later when he failed to return home. But this man was not wearing anything approaching the right clothing for the walk or the weather - a jacket, shirt, sweater, corduroy trousers and slip-on shoes. Valentine looks out towards a place called Wilderness Gully. As well as the clothes and the cash and the tickets, the one other object found on him was the container used to hold the strychnine. "I think this is a credible link - an image he always remembered.". To lose that opportunity was incredibly disappointing, says Chapman. Released on Radio 4 15 March 2017. Many walkers are attracted by the beautiful landscape, the views, the climbs and the colours. One of the things we do see is they may leave some of their personal belongings at home, she says. Craigs dad says he and his wife have been left devastated at the death of their son, who they say was looking forward to the future. To recap, this is all the new information we have found out this morning about the man found dead near Dovestone reservoir in December 2015: Detectives know he was poisoned by strychnine - a drug often used in Agatha Christie novels - which he may have administered himself as he neared the peak. The couple said: We believe someone knows what happened to Craig. Was it more likely then that the man came into Ealing from somewhere else? Some count the area where the body was discovered as being part of Saddleworth Moor. The mystery of the Dovestones body is solved, Pupils Listen to the earth as part of Holocaust Memorial Day, New research uncovers class pay gap in Britains professions, Jailed for multiple exposure offences in Bury, Operators confirmed for bus services saved from withdrawal, Ten men charged with over 50 offences relating to child sexual exploitation in Blackrod, Police find 200K worth of cannabis plants in Rochdale Yorkshire Street property, Serving Manchester Police Officer charged with rape, Meet the team behind 97, Chorltons newest neighbourhood cocktail bar, Second Girl dies after New Year hit and run, Police conform that three shots were fired in Oldham on Sunday night, Three Men who supplied 13 kilos of drugs jailed after Encrochat bust. The investigation into his true identity captured significant media attention, both in the UK and internationally, with the press office receiving calls from countries such as Pakistan, USA and Japan. Smartly dressed and lying prone close to the Indians Head Summit, he had nothing on him except three train tickets and 130 in cash. And he just set off.. The posters featured an image looking out over Greenfield and the Chew Valley. The following November he left again, but there was no record of his returning. You have entered an incorrect email address! Menu. If it was strychnine poisoning that causes you to convulse but he had his arms by his side. The cyclist who found the man thought he looked like he was having a rest, although it was bitterly cold and the rain was torrential. Daly City police and fire departments . He will never now be with his son at Christmas, birthdays, holidays and special days in his sons life. Cyclist Stuart Crowther at the spot where the body was found. "Nobody has been able to find any connection at all between David Lytton and north west England, let alone Saddleworth and Chew Valley. [1][2] The placeholder name was reportedly devised by mortuary attendants at Royal Oldham Hospital,[3] with reference to the location the body was found near Dovestone Reservoir, on an asphalt track in the Chew Valley. Marks and Spencer at Manchester Piccadilly. Six months have now passed since the man on the moor lay down by the path and died, and still no-one has even the vaguest notion of who he is. Coleman is from Greater Manchester Police and leading the investigation to find out who the man was. He was a fantastic father and he had lots of patience and time with his son. Something went wrong, please try again later. Staff monitor pictures from streets, pavements, parks, stairwells, car parks. With him, police found three train tickets, 130 in cash, all in 10 notes, and an empty medicine bottle, emblazoned with Arabic writing. ", Winners of Manchester's Be Proud Awards 2022 celebrating incredible heroes in our communities revealed. [5], In January 2017 the body was identified as 67-year-old David Lytton, who had flown into Heathrow Airport from Lahore in Pakistan on 10 December 2015. The man on the moor had died from strychnine poisoning. Thinking back to December, he says, even when he realised there were not any possessions which showed who the man was, he still had a realistic expectation that we would identify the male within certainly a matter of days. These are the unidentified people from over the years. The police do not know how he reached The Clarence Pub in Greenfield at 14:00. "There might have been an association in his mind, good or bad, with the poster and his personal tragedy," Mr Nield added. When they found his train tickets, police officers hoped the answers to his identity could be found in west London. The 28-year-old's body was discovered in Dovestones Reservoir on Saddleworth Moor in February 2014, with detectives suspecting he was abducted and murdered.. Parents Carolyn and Stephen Wilcox have now issued a plea for information, three years to the day after he disappeared from his . The area is by Saddleworth Moor, part of the Peak District National Park. "It's also likely he researched all the steps in his journey from Pakistan to Greenfield by surfing the internet - he spent a lot of time in internet cafs while living in Pakistan," he said. Last month GMP officers appealed to the Pakistani surgical team who worked on the mans leg, sometime between 2001 and 2013, in a bid to finally identify him. The 28-year-olds body was discovered in Dovestones Reservoir on Saddleworth Moor in February 2014, with detectives suspecting he was abducted and murdered. In February, police were called to Dovestone Reservoir following reports that a body had been seen. After that, he left the station but only briefly before coming back in again. People of all shapes, sizes and ages are walking over a pedestrian crossing into Ealing Broadway station. Several witnesses have described Lytton as living a minimalist lifestyle and as a loner who enjoyed living alone and keeping to himself. In a statement from Det Sgt John Coleman, read out by the coroner at todays hearing, the court heard that a profile had been set up of the missing man. Be brave and do the right thing.. The dad disappeared after telling a friend people were "after him", Yorkshire breaking news and updates sent straight to your inbox. The mystery of the man found at Dovestone reservoir has finally been solved, an inquest has heard. He said he was satisfied that David Lytton was a positive match for the missing man found at Dovestones. Why has he undertaken that journey? Coleman asks. We miss him, they said. He held different jobs later on and his last employment in London was as a train driver for London Underground. Then I wonder if somebody robbed him and left him like that - but why wouldnt they take the money. He then boarded a train to Saddleworth and visited The Clarence pub, where he asked the landlord for directions. As well as poring over the CCTV footage in London, they have also retraced his steps in Manchester. It is very popular, especially on a bright summers day. At the UK Missing Persons Bureau at Sunningdale in Berkshire, Louise Vesely-Shore, clicks through picture after picture on her computer. It had been suggested the unidentified man . Why poison? One theory, still not completely ruled out, is that the mans death was somehow connected with that. Its sale is banned in many parts of the world including Europe but not Pakistan. The mystery of the man found dead at Dovestones reservoir has finally been solved more than 12 months on. Witnesses saw him at two points on the mountain . The hope is that the X-rays will be matched with a particular patient's records. Craig was very close to his Mum, Carolyn and used to talk her all the time. A coroner. However insignificant you think it might be it could be the vital piece of information which may help our investigation.. He doesn't know who ran the advertising campaign. Police will hold a press conference on Friday morning where they are expected to release more details on Mr Lytton and the investigation. In December, 2015, the body of a man was found lying on a remote country track above Dovestone Reservoir in Saddleworth, Oldham. He just asked for directions to the top of the mountain, says Melvin Robinson. It all seemed quite normal. "That would explain how he knew the general area and found Greenfield. He spent about five minutes with a person working at the stations information desk. The body of a 66-year-old Clinton man was found Tuesday in a vehicle discovered upside down in water off the Hill Road in Clinton. Investigating detectives surmised the man may have been Stephen Evans, a survivor of the crash, but it was discounted after the BBC worked out, based on the 1949 report and the police statement, that he worked at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and contacted him. When officers attended, supported by an underwater search team, the body of 28-year-old Craig Wilcox was recovered from the water. His visa expired and he attempted to leave the country with a manipulated visa and got caught which resulted in him getting blacklisted. "The remaining mystery was always what was he doing there, how did he come to be there? It was the position of the body which somehow seemed strange. An international police investigation was launched in a bid to identify the body, nicknamed Neil Dovestones by mortuary workers at Royal Oldham Hospital. He was on a small patch of grass, beneath what is known as Robs Rocks. Detectives reported finding the 36-year-old victim's decomposed body inside a trash bin on Dec. 7, near the intersection of Northwest 205 Street and 29 Avenue. Further up, the car passes some ragged rocks jutting skyward. [4], Wimberry Stones is a rock feature known locally as "Indian's Head" overlooking the reservoir. It was the site of a fatal aeroplane crash in 1949. [10] Jeremy Lawton described that his brother meticulously "compartmentalised" his life in a way that his friends and family would not interact. Detectives investigating his death have now discovered Craig had confided in a friend to say he feared for his safety and officers have launched a murder investigation. I think we have a duty to the family to let them know what has happened., Samaritans provides emotional support for people experiencing feelings of distress or thoughts of suicide - call 116 123 for free, or 08457 90 90 90, Download or listen to Jon Manel's Body on the Moor reports for BBC Radio 4, If you have information please call Greater Manchester Police on 0161 856 8972, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or email dovestones@gmp.police.uk, China's Science Revolution: Five super-sized projects. Weve got the family members out there who may not even know that the gentleman has died. Mr Lytton had bought a return train ticket and travelled from Ealing Broadway train station to Manchester Piccadilly via Euston on Friday, December 11. It was then that he was finally seen talking to someone. But mystery still surrounds what a man with no obvious connections to the Oldham or Saddleworth areas was doing on Saddleworth Moor. Both Det Sgt Coleman and I were anxious that this information be distributed without delay.. An empty medicine bottle, emblazoned with Arabic writing, was also found nearby. [4] He was estimated to be between 65 and 75 years old and was almost 6 feet (1.8m) tall, with a thin build; he was balding with grey hair and brown eyes. Why did he travel on that day? [8] (His change of name explained previous reports that no one named David Lytton had been born in London on 21 April 1948.) "Oldham was written in large letters underneath. The mystery man, who had been nicknamed Neil Dovestone by mortuary attendants, was found dead on 12 December 2015 on the Chew track leading from Dovestones Reservoir boating lake to Indians Head. HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The body of a man was found in a wooded area near Memorial Park on Friday morning, according to Houston police. Instead, he came back into the station. Some, she says, may want to leave them for family members or may simply feel they dont need their mobile phone or wallet anymore. Parents Carolyn and Stephen Wilcox have now issued a plea for information, three years to the day after he disappeared from his home in Greater Manchester. The first established the cause of death. The body of Londoner David Lytton, 67, was found lying on a remote track in Saddleworth in 2015 - but what was he doing there? Deputies said they found the body and the baby at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Avenue . On 4 February, it was reported that Lytton's long-term girlfriend, also from Streatham, had helped him through bouts of depression, he had a brother, and that he had changed his surname following a family feud. What do we tell him? More often than not, people are carrying something from which they can be identified - a mobile phone, credit cards, a travel card. He said a full inquest into Mr Lyttons death will be held at Rochdale Coroners Court on March 14 at 2pm. Officers attended, with an underwater search team, and later found his body. The investigation into his true identity captured significant media attention, both in the UK and internationally, with the press office receiving calls from countries such as Pakistan, USA and Japan. He was positive about the future for the first time in a long time. CLIMBING. There he led a secluded life but was in regular contact with neighbors whom he told he had converted to Islam in 1996, a statement police did not confirm. That is how, for now at least, the man on the moor became Neil Dovestones. It is known as Indians Head. He was positive about the future for the first time in a long time. Others are stamped with the name of the manufacturer. A FAMILY has been left devastated after a body was found in the search for a missing teen, who vanished five months ago. So I spoke to everyone else and they said yeah, well call him Neil.. On 12 December 2015 a man's body was found lying on the ground on Saddleworth Moor. In addition there are 131 unidentified body parts. Detectives who have spent almost a year trying to identify the man found dead on a track above Dovestone reservoir, in Saddleworth. Vesely-Shore explains quite a few of the bodies are of people who have taken their own lives. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Det Sgt John Coleman told todays hearing that Mr Lytton had travelled to the UK on December 10, 2015, from Lahore airport in Pakistan to Heathrow. If X-rays of serious leg injuries over a number of years can be examined, he believes he will finally be able to give the man his proper name. Main News; Community News; Letters To The Editor; Latest Issue; . While it is no longer available to buy legally in the UK, there are certain countries where it is still in use as a poison for pests. The body was found at the Saddleworth beauty spot on December 12, 2015. He was the friend who Lytton had asked to pick him up at the airport upon his return. The Missing Persons Bureau works with individual police forces to help find out who some of these people are. View history David Lytton (21 April 1948 - 11 or 12 December 2015), formerly known as David Keith Lautenberg and after the discovery of his body by the placeholder name Neil Dovestone, was a previously unidentified British man found dead on Saddleworth Moor, in the South Pennines of Northern England on 12 December 2015. We are reminded of Craig every single day. Boots on the concourse at Manchester Piccadilly, He didnt have an expression, Chapman says. Craig, who had a six-year-old son at the time of his disappearance on January 6, 2014, had told a friend that people were after him.. It happened in or before 2013. A full inquest date has been provisionally set for 14 March 2017 at Heywood Coroners Court. Weve been lucky enough to find a couple of fragments of sutures [or stitches] from the deep tissue of the left leg. Officers broadened their search to Pakistan with police appealing to surgical staff there to offer help as Mr Lytton had undergone an unusual surgical procedure involving a device only used in a handful of hospitals in that country. A missing from home investigation was launched by detectives in Oldham which established Craig had confided in a friend to say he feared for his safety. We sat down with thoughts of if youre 65 to 75 years of age, youre a male, youre living in the Ealing area, what are you going to need? Were thinking GP surgeries, dentists, you get your hair cut, bookmakers, residential homes, health services - all these places we visited.. [1], At 9:04am on 11 December the unidentified man travelled by London Underground train from Ealing Broadway station to Euston station in London and then to Manchester Piccadilly. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. But he did not get a taxi. 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However, the line of enquiries to date seem to direct me over into that region., X-ray of a titanium rod and screw pinning a fractured femur (thigh bone) The rock is also very unstable and rockfalls are possible at any time. In judging whether the man was from the UK or abroad, his choice of clothes may be significant. He walked in at about 14:00 on the day before his body was found. We were thinking bingo, were going to get some information here, Chapman says. Craig had plans for the rest of his life, plans that included his six-year-old son. Six months on, he says, in his experience, the case is unique - Ive never come across a similar set of circumstances. His arms were across his chest.. But GMP have been. The passport was issued on 8 September 2006 and would expire on 8 September 2016. Click here to take you back to more Huddersfield news . The medicine container the man had with him was made out of clear plastic, with a white lid and in a small blue cardboard box. "The trees in the foreground have grown since the poster was made.". Body Found at Dovestones Reservoir: A Case Study. The path that leads to the lay-by where the body of 'Neil Dovestone' was found Detectives know he was poisoned by strychnine - a drug often used in Agatha Christie novels - which he may have. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. Three post-mortems have now been carried out on the body. A post-mortem examination previously revealed that Mr Lytton had an operation in Pakistan to insert a mid-femur titanium plate onto his left thigh bone. They were all purchased at Marks and Spencer, almost certainly in the UK judging by the labels, and his shoes came from Swiss luxury brand Bally. Mr Lytton's family painted a similar picture at the inquest, after which a coroner recorded an open verdict. [11] According to the BBC, Lytton and Toogood met in 1968 when Lytton worked as a croupier in Mayfair. His inquest will have to make an official decision about whether this was suicide but the police believe it was. He eventually obtained a new visa that was about to expire in late 2015 when he was travelling to London, meaning it was his last chance to leave legally without having to reapply. His next stop was WHSmith, the stationers. 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[14], In 2020 it was speculated that Lytton's interest in the area of Oldham was due to poster advertising in London's public transportation which he must have often seen for years while working as a train driver. We were excited. Photo courtesy of Clinton police. At an inquest in Heywood earlier today, , Senior Coroner for Oldham, Mr Simon Nelson confirmed that the true identity of the man found close to Dovestones Reservoir is David Lytton, 67, from London. In a news release, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office said an unharmed infant also was in the apartment. He then walked into Boots, the chemists, which is the shop next door. Mr Nelson added: There are other areas of inquiry that need to be pursued and are being pursued in order that I can fulfil my statutory obligation and all being well conclude my enquiries in due course.. I think collectively as a department we decided that it would be nice to give him some kind of identity, Hales recalls. Peak District National Park Ranger Andy Valentine was brought up close by and now often takes his 4x4 past the spot where the man walked on that day back in December.