Balmore Man
Found On: 16th October 2011
Balmore Man was found hanging within a densely wooded area of Golf Club Road in Balmore, near Glasgow in Scotland. It is believed he had been dead for several months as the body was almost skeletal. He is believed to have suffered a traumatic event several months before his death.
About
Described as White European, 167cm-183cm (5ft 5in – 6ft in) tall, he had light brown shoulder-length hair. He was wearing a navy-blue cloth zipper-type cardigan with a narrow white band around the collar, with a Greek Pennsylvania motif. Other clothing included a light blue polo shirt with writing on the front with a maroon-coloured diagonal band across the chest area, blue jeans and navy/black Waterproof training shoes. In his possession was a grey Nike satchel containing two razors, a toothbrush, other toiletries, headphone, lighter, cigarette papers and clothes.
Professor Sue Black describes the postmortem in detail in her book, All That Remains.
“A healed fracture to the left nasal bone may have been visible in life as a crooked nose. There was a healed fracture to a bone at the base of the skull called the lateral pterygoid plate. Both were likely to have resulted from the same traumatic event, probably several months before his death.”
Professor Black goes on to say, “An additional fracture to the left side of his jaw, which had been missed in the initial postmortem examination, had not healed successfully but may have been sustained at the same time. This should have been treated in hospital with plates and screws, but since it had not, he would have experienced tremendous pain every time he tried to eat.”
The book also describes how his kneecaps showed some evidence of articular degeneration, unusual in someone so young. It is likely that he also found walking painful, so perhaps he limped. His upper left central tooth was fractured, possibly in the same incident that caused the injuries to the rest of his face. The chip would have been visible every time he opened his mouth.
Investigation
Who was this man? One suggestion was that he may have been an apparently homeless chap said to have been living rough in the woods around Balmore. He fitted the description, and we understand that he has not been seen since, so he remains a possibility. But as the police had no name for him, the trail went cold. Maybe the man from Balmore did not want to be found. Perhaps he was scared and in hiding. Who was responsible for his broken jaw? Why did he choose to live with his pain and distress rather than seek medical assistance?
News & Updates
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