On Christmas morning of 1991, a dog walker was strolling through a densely forested area off the side of the M61 motorway known as Linnyshaw Moss in Walkden near Manchester, England when he spotted something horrific: a man’s leg, partially wrapped in a black garbage bag, sticking out of the thick undergrowth.
When police arrived and began scouring the area, they discovered a shallow grave nearby that contained another leg and a severed head. Though more searches took place over the ensuing weeks, no more of the victim’s body was ever found.
Identification of the remains proved difficult. For one thing, the victim had no teeth and looked to have lost them at least ten years prior to his death. It was unknown whether the man wore dentures, as none were found with the body.
There were also few personal effects found with the remains; the only distinctive item was a black shoulder bag bearing a white Nike logo.
From an examination of the body, it was believed that the man had been killed approximately three months earlier. Because of the incomplete nature of the find, the cause of death was unable to be determined, though foul play was obviously suspected.
Authorities also speculated that the victim had probably been cut up to make disposing of the body easier and that the killer was likely a local, as the area where the body was found was somewhat remote.
The unidentified man was white, stood around five-foot-seven, and was believed to be between forty and sixty years old. He had graying brown hair, and at some point in the past had had surgery to remove the nail on the big toe of his left foot.
In the days following the discovery, investigators looked into several leads that turned out to be false. One of these included a homeless man who told officers that five men had been involved with the killing and that he had information about them. This claim, however, was found to be fabricated.
There was also a burned tent and a cleaver recovered from near the dump site of the body, but these were later found to belong to another homeless man who had nothing to do with the murder.
As there had been Irish travelers camping nearby until October of 1991, detectives tracked them down to find out if the victim had been part of their group, but this lead likewise went nowhere.
In 2006, another partial body was found burning in roughly the same area, making police wonder if the two cases were related, but after a thorough investigation, it was determined that the crimes were unconnected.
An artist’s rendering as well as a morgue photograph of the victim was released to the public in hopes that someone would be able to identify him, but sadly, his identity is still a mystery, as is the reason he was murdered and the identity of his killer or killers.
Crime Immemorial 