Pier Head Man
On the 13th May 1984, the body of a man aged between 50-60 was recovered from Pier Head on the River Mersey after he was spotted by a schoolboy in the mud around 200 yards from Princes Parade. The man is suspected to have been deceased for quite some time before being found.
Library Picture of the River Mersey, Liverpool
An extensive Police Investigation was carried out at the time:
A telex message was circulated to the Police Forces of Merseyside, Lancashire, North Wales, and Cheshire, but the replies yielded no productive leads. Fingerprint analysis also returned no results. Two men were considered but later eliminated from the search. A press release was issued to local newspapers and radio stations, followed by contact with London newspapers, but neither approach led to success. On 25th May 1984, the case was featured in Merseyside General Crime Information no. 101, item 1. In total, 71 reports of missing persons from various parts of the country were investigated, with most ultimately ruled out.
Description and Clothing
Gender: Male
Age range: 50 - 60 years old
Ethnicity: White European
Height: 168cm (5 ft 6 ins)
Build: Medium (10 stone)
Date found: 13th May 1984
Body or remains: Body
Eye colour: Unknown. He had cataracts on both eyes.
Distinguishing features : Lacking upper and lower teeth
Jacket: Grey/green worsted
Trousers: Black charcoal colour
Shirt: White
Waistcoat: Blue/grey herringbone
Underwear: Longjohns
Socks: Green
Shoes: Black, size 8, plastic
Jewellery: 'Services' make pocket watch
Possessions
A plastic bag which contained a copy of the 'Sporting Life' newspaper dated 26th August, 1983
A small piece of the 'Standard' newspaper dated 1st July, 1982
Black leather foldover wallet containing £19 in £1 notes
Brown plastic spectacles, French make which would have been worn by a very short sighted person
2 loose spectacle cases
A piece of card with two names, Rupert Murdock and Vincent Mathews
Another piece of card with two numbers, J63164071 and either 7 or 9 followed by 1J844039
Penknife
Expanding metal armbands
Empty Henry Winterman cigar tin (size 5) with a London-Runcorn-Liverpool rail timetable sheet
Questions you can ask yourself
Please think about who you could pass these questions on to, and share them with your family and friends.
Does this description remind you of anyone who seemed to disappear without explanation during the early 1980s, particularly from the Merseyside area or surrounding regions?
Did you know anyone who regularly carried a ‘Sporting Life’ newspaper or had an interest in horse racing around 1982 and 1983?
Did you know anyone who had cataracts in both eyes and may have struggled with poor vision?
Do you recall someone who wore long johns, possibly suggesting they worked outdoors or spent time in cold environments?
There is always hope, and you could be the person that makes the difference.
No matter how seemingly small the information you have, it really may be the answer we need. Information provided can be submitted anonymously, and submissions will be treated in confidence. Everything we receive will be reviewed by our dedicated team of volunteers. Please do not use this form for emergency assistance in locating a person. Please call 999.