Major search fails to discover the identity of man found dead in Kent field next to a suitcase and wedding catalogue

A man who was found dead in a Kent field may never be identified after a major Europe-wide DNA hunt failed to turn up any clues.

The mystery of the man goes beyond just his identity – he was found half naked in the field in Canterbury and lying next to a decanter, a black suitcase and an Oyster card.

A wedding catalogue addressed to a woman called Mandy Martin and a book on clinical theology was also found next to the man, who was lying on his back in a field bordering Hollow Lane in Wincheap when he was discovered.

The man, who was discovered by local Gareth Morgan in February this year, also had no teeth – making it impossible to carry out dental records to discover his identity.

A forensic reconstruction of his face was circulated but still nobody was able to identify the man.

Police believe he was in his 50s or 60s and possibly of Eastern European origin, with a skinny build and around 5ft 5in to 5ft 6ins tall.

Detective Sergeant Gary Stamp said: “There were no signs of injury, no clues in his clothing.

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“His fingerprints had no match and we couldn’t match any DNA samples. We went right across Europe to try to find the identity of this man.”

An inquest in Margate was told that the man died from from heart disease, brought on by cirrhosis of the liver, which in turn could have been as a result of starvation.

Assistant north east Kent coroner Ian Gollop told DS Stamp: ”This is clearly a man who didn’t want to be found and was living at the edge of existence.”

The case has now been closed.