Clay head appeal fails to identify 2002 Northampton bushes body Published duration 19 November 2016

image copyright Northamptonshire Police/Google image caption A clay model of the man's head was released in 2014 in an effort to solve the mystery

A clay model depicting the face of a man found dead in bushes 14 years ago has failed to help identify him, police have said.

The remains, found in Lings Wood, Northampton in September 2002, were the subject of a cold case review launched by police two years ago.

But Northamptonshire Police said the identity of the man still remains unknown.

It is thought the body was undiscovered in undergrowth for up to a year.

Discovered by children

In a Freedom of Information Act response to the BBC, the force said dental tests had estimated his age to be between 30 and 50.

It is known he was 5ft 8in tall with dark hair, but no further details are known.

The decomposing body was discovered by children during a Wildlife Trust clean-up event at the Northampton nature reserve on 29 September 2002.

Shoelace around neck

An inquest into his death, which took place in April 2004, recorded an open verdict with the cause of death unascertained.

The hearing also learned the man was found with a shoelace around his neck.

A number of items were also found with the body, including a beige sleeping bag, a black Equinox fleece jacket, a blue Viale work wear top, a green and brown Jet Flow Torille 40 Outbound rucksack, cigarette lighters, a purple comb and hairbrush, a glasses case and lens cloth and a damaged black and white photograph.

The man was wearing a pair of blue and grey New Balance trainers, white socks, navy Petroleum track-suit bottoms, a pair of boxer shorts, a long-sleeved Polo-style top and a short-sleeved Polo-style top.