> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Tip-off sees "promising" new lead in bid to end 40-year mystery surrounding identity of man found dead in Lichfield
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/tip-off-sees-promising-new-lead-in-bid-to-end-40-year-mystery-surrounding-identity-of-man-found-dead-in-lichfield/
- Published: 2026-07-23T05:00:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-23T05:00:25.000Z
- Description: Investigators say individual may have been Russian and could have regularly used swimming pool at local leisure centre.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: News

INVESTIGATORS trying to crack a 40-year-old mystery surrounding the identity of a man found dead in Lichfield say they have a "promising" new lead.

A fresh appeal was launched last month by Locate International, which has been working with Staffordshire Police in a bid to find out who the individual was.

The man was found hanging from a tree in Coronation Wood on 5th April 1987 by two people out shooting in the area. He was believed to have been dead for a week.

A tip off following coverage of the case has now led investigators to believe the man may be Russian.

Locate International said one local believed the image of the man resembled someone who used to attend the swimming pool at The Friary Leisure Centre on weekends in the mid-1980s.

They added that he spoke good English with a strong Eastern European accent which may have been Russian. He was also described as a "friendly loner who had a lot of interesting stories to tell".

Investigators from the charity are also examining whether a key with a metal fob bearing the number six – one of only a handful of items found on him – may have been a locker key for the swimming pool.

Mark Greenhalgh, Locate International’s CEO, said:

> "We take all possible leads seriously, but this one appears especially promising.  
>  
> "Someone of this description would have stood out, so we’re confident other people will remember him from the Lichfield area at the time."

Believed to be in his mid-50s, the man was 5ft 8ins tall with a slender build. He had short, dark mousy hair which was greying at the sides and back, as well as a greying moustache on the edge of his upper lip. He only had two lower teeth.

At the time of his death, the individual was wearing a Millets Citizen grey anorak with a zip front, a Dunn and Co green trilby hat, Greenwoods lightweight grey zip-up jacket, Marks and Spencer light blue check shirt, a dark or wine red tie, blue or grey trousers and light tan or brown slip-on shoes in an extra-wide fitting.

Alongside the key, he was also found with a blue comb, handkerchiefs and two Ladbrokes pens.

Detective Chief Inspector Louise Booker, from Staffordshire Police, said:

> "We are determined to identify this man and establish who he was after nearly 40 years.  
>  
> "We urge anyone who recognises his description, clothing or personal belongings to come forward.  
>  
> "No piece of information is too small and could help us finally provide answers about his identity."

Anyone with information can contact Locate International by emailing [appeals@locate.international](mailto:appeals@locate.international) or calling 0300 102 1011\. Alternatively, they can call police on 101, quoting incident 147 of 12th May 2026.