Glamorgan Man: Handwriting and money among clues to identity of man found dead in woods 45 years ago | UK News

A renewed international appeal has been launched to identify the body of a man found in woodland 45 years ago.

Skeletal remains, referred to as Glamorgan Man, were found in the remote Rheola Forest near Resolven in Neath Port Talbot, south Wales, on 9 December 1979.

Locate International, a charity which investigates cold cases of missing or unidentified people, says the man was a possible visitor from South Africa and is believed to have died between nine and 18 months before he was found.

Investigators found in his possession a Salvation Testament bible that bore the name D MALAN and a partial address in the Randburg area of South Africa.

Handwriting on an envelope – apparently planning an internal flight in South Africa to Durban – appeared to match writing on the bible.

Other clues found on his body include a commemorative bookmark for a Christian mission conducted in King William’s Town (now known as Qonce in South Africa) and a South African Airways timetable of flights from London to Johannesburg dated 1977.

A small amount of US and Canadian dollars added to the suggestion the man was a frequent traveller.

He also had a map of south Wales and some blank headed notepaper from the Heathrow Sheraton hotel on his person.

The man was aged between 40 and 60 years old, according to the new appeal. He was of a stocky build and between 5ft 8 inches and 5ft 10 inches tall.

He is likely to have walked with a heavy limp as his right knee was fused when his remains were discovered. He may also have worn dentures as he did not have teeth, the volunteer investigators say.

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Investigators are confident someone in Wales or South Africa will remember him, despite the amount of time that has passed since his death.

Mark Greenhalgh, Locate International’s CEO, said the man “would have stood out to anyone who encountered him at the time”.

He added: “Think back to 1978 and where you were at that time, and who you knew. Who could you ask that might be able to help?

“Even the smallest piece of information you have can make a difference, and help return Glamorgan Man’s identity after all this time.”