Balmore Man
On October 16th, in 2011, a wildlife photographer in Balmore, a small village in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, came across something quite unexpected whilst in the woods – a man’s body.
New facial reconstruction by Dr Toby Houlton, University of Dundee
A post-mortem estimated the body to be aged 25-34 years of age, 5’8” – 6’1” tall, and of a slight build. He is believed to be white European, with light-coloured hair, parted on the right.
He was found wearing a blue Topman T-shirt with a maroon diagonal stripe on the front. He also wore a blue zipped cardigan with a ‘Greek Pennsylvania’ logo. His jeans were light-coloured ‘Petroleum’ brand jeans. He wore black waterproof walking shoes, most commonly bought in Lidl.
A number of personal items were found nearby in a Nike messenger bag, which contained branded toiletries and spare clothes. It is believed he was a smoker; he had a lighter, cigarette papers, and filters in his bag but no tobacco.
Multiple sets of earphones and chargers were found in the bag. Despite this, he had no phone or any form of identification.
Sadly, he has remained unidentified since he was found in 2011.
Description and Location
Injuries: A significant feature of his body was the presence of facial injuries, including a healed fracture to his nose which may have been visible as a crooked nose, and a partially healed fracture to a bone at the base of his skull (called the lateral pterygoid plate). He also had an unhealed fracture on the right side of his jaw for which he had not received treatment. This would have caused significant pain and difficulty eating.
Knee condition: The man also had a degenerative knee condition. Coupled with the wear pattern in his clothing, this suggests he may have walked with a limp or had difficulty walking.
Teeth: He also had a noticeable, characteristic chip in his front left tooth, which may have been capped.
Here, you’ll find map views of the area where Balmore Man was found. We have shown the exact location via satellite, a map-based view, and an overview of where Balmore is in the UK.
Questions you can ask yourself
What were the events that led to his injuries?
Why did he feel unable to seek medical help?
Was he a UK citizen, or had he come from abroad?
Why did he choose this location to end his life?
Did you live in the Balmore area before or around 2011, or do you have friends or family who did? Could you share this appeal with them?
Do you recognise him, or anyone who may have had such recognisable injuries / features?
Have you lost touch with someone who matches his description? Do you recognise his clothing or posessions?
Possessions and Features
Find out more about this man, his injuries, his possessions (including additional clothing he had with him), by interacting with the video below. Click on each of the blue dots to reveal more.
Appeal Video
Balmore Man was found in a secluded location in woodland close to Balmore Gold Club. He also had a number of interesting possessions with him. Watch the video below to find out more about what we know and view drone footage of the location. Please share the video with your family, friends, colleagues and networks. Someone knew Balmore Man in life and may hold the key to finding his identity.
A Message from Police Scotland
Detective Inspector Kenny McDonald, of Greater Glasgow Division, said:
“I am extremely grateful for the diligent work the Scottish Cold Case Unit have carried out on this case.
“This is a long term enquiry examining the circumstances of unidentified human remains, and a detailed forensic review of all physical matter has been conducted. This includes revisiting the recovery site, creating facial reconstruction imaging and liaising with the UK’s Missing Persons Unit.
“With the support of Glasgow Caledonian, I hope this new image will offer fresh leads which could help to finally identify the man and bring closure to any members of his family.”