Mystery as man’s body found floating in reservoir with no belongings or car

Police are appealing for help in identifying the man

It is thought that the body of the man, which was found in the Claerwen Reservoir, Powys on Friday, 18 October 2024, could have been undiscovered for up to 12 weeks.

After someone spotted the body floating in Claerwen Reservoir last October, Dyfed-Powys Police were called to the scene.

There they found a highly decomposed person in the wetsuit with no possessions on him.

Claerwen Reservoir is the largest and most remote of the Elan Valley dams in Powys.

But around 55 people die in inland waters in Wales each year.

Detective Inspector Anthea Ponting, Senior Investigating Officer said: "I would like to thank everyone who has already came forward with information following our previous appeals.

"A post-mortem has confirmed that the body is a man, aged between 30 and 60 years old. He is approximately 6ft tall and was wearing a Zone 3 Agile wetsuit, similar to the one pictured.”

The size of the wetsuit is XL, which equates to the wearer possibly being 6ft-6ft5” tall, about 202-220lbs with a 44–48-inch chest.

DI Ponting added “We have carried out numerous enquiries, including checking missing people records with other forces and conducting forensic enquiries both locally and wider in conjunction with Law Enforcement Partners.

"Unfortunately, these have not led to the man being identified.

"We are keeping an open mind into the circumstances and continue to work towards finding out who he was, any family and what happened to him.

"We would still like to hear from anyone who has visited the Claerwen reservoir, or the surrounding area, between the beginning of July 2024 and October 18, and haven’t spoken to police yet.

"We also continue to appeal for anyone who does have information – who thinks that something mentioned could relate to a missing person in their own life/or who they may know – to come forward."