Police attempt to reunite unidentified deceased man with his
family
09/01/2013
A postponed operation by North Wales Police to
conduct the exhumation of an unknown man buried in Menai Bridge
cemetery will now take place on Thursday 17th January
2013. The exhumation was delayed to allow clarification of a
legal point.
A licence for the exhumation has been issued
by the Ministry of Justice and HM Coroner Mr Pritchard Jones has
been consulted.
In order for this process to take place in a
dignified and professional manner the cemetery will be closed for
the day whilst Police and forensic experts exhume the remains and
recover them for examination.
The Investigating Officer, DC Don Kenyon of
the North Wales Police said. “The circumstances surrounding
this man’s death are not suspicious, we are merely attempting to
identify him for his families sake. That process will involve
carefully obtaining DNA samples and comparing them against the DNA
from individuals we have identified as possible family members.
“The family has been made aware of the
proposed exhumation and are supportive of the action. This will be
a very emotional time for them and they have been reassured that we
will conduct the whole process in the most dignified and sensitive
way possible.”
DC Kenyon has notified families connected to
adjacent graves and those who live around the cemetery as he is
aware exhumation is a rare and sometimes sensitive process.
“I am very conscious of the feelings of all concerned, families of
those buried in the cemetery and the surrounding community and can
assure all that due regard and respect will be paid during the
process which we hope to have concluded by late afternoon”
The unidentified man was buried in 1983 after
being recovered from the sea off Anglesey. At the time an
exhaustive Police investigation to identify the man, believed aged
in his 30’s, proved fruitless. Advances in DNA technology since
that time may now be able to bring one families uncertainty to an
end. It is hoped that results of the DNA analysis will be
complete within three weeks of the exhumation.