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National
Sophie Doughty

The seven bodies found in the North East that police just can't identify

Their bodies were found decades ago, but their names remain a mystery.

The remains of seven people found dead in the North East have still not been identified, despite the best efforts of police.

These men's bodies or body parts were all found in Tyne and Wear, Northumberland or County Durham between 1972 and 2006.

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The cases are listed on the UK Missing Persons Bureau, which is a national database of unidentified bodies. It records details handed out by police forces of those found dead that have not been identified.

Here are their mysterious stories:

Skeleton found in Rocks at Seaham:

Image of a man whose remains were found on rocks in Seaham (UK Missing Persons Bureau)

The skeletal remains of a man were found among rocks on the shore in Seaham, County Durham. The discovery was made on May 13, 2006.

The man is thought to be aged between 40 and 100 and between 5ft 8ins and 6ft tall. Some clothing was found on the remains.

He was wearing grey slipper-type socks with grippers on the bottom, brown shoes in a size 11.

Skull found by boat off Blyth coast:

Blyth Pier (Newcastle Chronicle)

A skull was found by trawlermen around 15 miles off the Blyth coast on February 28, 1999. It is thought to belong to a man aged 30 to 40.

Experts believe the person had been dead for more than six months when the skull was found, but probably not more than 10 years.

Bottom half of bottom found on banks of River Wear:

The decomposed lower half of a man's body was recovered from the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland, on September 26, 1992. He was thought to be aged 55 to 65 and had been dead for around 12 months.

The man, who is believed to have been between 5ft 4ins and 5ft 6ins tall, was wearing brown pinstripe trousers, a white elasticated belt, dark coloured socks and Long Johns.

He had a tin of Altoids Seriously Strong Peppermints, some cigarette papers and a black Bic biro pen with him.

Body of man wearing odd size shoes found in Northumberland forest:

A body was found in Wark Forest, possibly that of Christopher Oliver (UK Missing Persons Bureau)

The body of a man, thought to be an American, was found in Wark Forest in Northumberland. The grim discovery was made on February 2, 1990.

The body is believed to be that of a man called Christopher Oliver and is thought to be an American man, but neither of these details have been confirmed. The man is thought to be aged between 20 and 40 and 5ft 6ins to 5ft 8ins tall.

He had brown wavy hair, had dark European skin and was wearing a green anorak, a Lee denim jacket, white sweatshirt and brown Hi Tec shoes in a size 8 on his left foot and size 8.5 on his right.

He also wore, blue trousers, a brown money belt, white Y-fronts and a Black Lorus digital watch. A blue rucksack was also found with him.

Its contents included; Two blue nylon ropes, two plasters, a grey torch, one plastic bottle with water in and one with whiskey and book entitled History of London, by Robert Gray.

The body is believed to have been there four to 12 months before being found.

Man's body found in River Tyne at South Shields

A man's decomposed. was found in River Tyne on January 5, 1981. He is thought to be aged between 40 and 70, bald and around 5ft 2ins to 5ft 6ins tall.

The remains are believed to have been in the water for around two to six months. The man had a scar on his abdomen and was circumcised.

Man with missing hand found in the Tyne

The bridges of the River Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead. (Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)

The decomposed body of a man with a missing hand was found in the River Tyne in Newcastle on September 10, 1979. He was white, 5ft 8ins tall, of medium build, and thought to be aged 35 to 55.

The body is believed to have been in the water for six to 12 months.

The man was wearing an overcoat, with red , a grey sports jacket and casual trouser. He also wore a shirt an striped Kipper tie and red underpants.

He also had a stainless steel Timex watch.

Body with no teeth found on rocks at Northumberland beach:

Beadnell beach in Northumberland (Newcastle Chronicle)

The decomposed body of a man with missing teeth was found among rocks at Beadnell beach in Northumberland on May 9 1972. He was white, aged 50 to 60, stocky and around 5ft 8ins tall.

The body is believed to have been in the sea for between three weeks and three months. The man had light brown hair tat was greying and both his upper and lower teeth were missing

He was wearing a blue suit jacket and trousers with the name G Strachan or C Strachan inside.

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