A skeleton found next to a pair of cowboy boots has been identified – and police are investigating the discovery as a possible murder.
William “Bill” Long’s family lost contact with him in the 1990s and now, with the help of a forensic anthropologist, the skeleton has been identified as his.
It was discovered in a scrapyard in the coastal town of St Osyth, Essex, in 2019, prompting intense inquiries into who the remains belonged to and how they died.
Image: William “Bill” Long was last seen alive sometime between March 1999 and 2000.
This involved not only working with the anthropologist but also reviewing historical missing persons reports and checks with financial institutions, the NHS and the Department for Work and Pensions.
Mr Long would now be in his 70s and was from the nearby Tendring area. He is believed to have worked casually at the scrap yard.
Police believe Mr Long was last seen or believed to be alive between March 1999 and March 2000 and had a girlfriend who moved to Australia around that time.
Image: The dump where Mr. Long was found
Detective Inspector Kevin Hughes, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “The process of identifying Bill has been measured and methodical.
“Bill’s family have been notified and they now have the chance to lay him to rest.
“They have questions about what happened to him and our focus now is to get them answers.”
“We are open about what happened to Bill and how he ended up where he was found.”
He appealed to anyone who knew Bill, saw him, spoke to him or had any information about him to come forward.
Family guilt
Mr. Long’s sister, Patricia, said that after their father’s death in 1996, the family had lost touch with Mr. Long.
She said in a statement issued through police that her brother was “vulnerable” and “an easy target for scammers” and that the family felt guilty for not contacting him.
“We are in desperate need of information as to what happened to him,” she said. “It’s so hard to deal with grief and guilt when we don’t know what happened.”
Mr. Long’s death is being investigated as a homicide, but police say they are under investigation as to what happened.
• People can submit any relevant information online at www.essex.police.uk or use the Live Chat button to speak to an operator online between 7am and 11pm quoting crime reference number 42/64620/ 19.
Alternatively, call the police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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