Body in River Stort: Police release details of man’s clothing as they seek to identify him
Police still seeking to identify a young man who was found dead in the River Stort at Bishop’s Stortford by two teenage canoeists have revealed details in the hope the public can help them.
The deceased was in his mid 20s, 5ft 9in to 5ft 11in tall, of medium build and had facial hair on his chin.
He was wearing a black Adidas hoodie, dark grey Nike Air tracksuit bottoms and black Adidas trainers.
Det Sgt Thomas Nash, from the East Herts local crime unit, said on Monday (April 7): “This is a very sad case because we still don’t know who this man is or what his story was. There is no suggestion there was any third-party involvement in his death.”
The body was found on March 23, shortly after 11.45am. Bishop’s Stortford Canoe Club members Oliver Klumpler, 15, and his K2 partner Jamie Winstanley, 14, were taking part in a regular Sunday morning training session when they made the grim discovery.
Like their adult clubmates, the pair were navigating a familiar stretch of water between the club’s headquarters in Stylemans Lane and Rushy Mead nature reserve when they encountered what they believed was an abandoned mannequin face down in a spot known as “the Winding Hole”, south of the canoe club hut at a point where the river bends sharply.
Oliver, who is a Birchwood High School student, and Jamie, who attends The Bishop’s Stortford High School, could see the top of a head and the hood of a jacket floating in the murky water.
When they returned to the clubhouse after around an hour on the river, they reported their concerns and walked back along the riverbank with Oliver’s sister Emilie, mum Flora and her friend to pinpoint the location. It was decided they would take a more stable boat back onto the water to retrieve what everyone still believed was a mannequin.
Jamie grabbed the hood and, at that point, both boys and the adults on the bank recognised other clothing and realised the body was “horribly lifelike”.
Oliver said: “I think we all realised at the same time. I had a hunch. I just thought that doesn’t really look like a mannequin.”
The boys abandoned their mission and an adult club member, a former police officer, got into the water and confirmed their worst fears. She estimated the body had been in the water for four to eight weeks. Oliver, Jamie and Emilie returned to the clubhouse while emergency services retrieved the body.
The man’s death is being treated as non-suspicious but unexplained. However, despite extensive enquiries, officers have not been able to identify him or notify his next of kin.
Detectives have now released an image of clothing similar to that the man was wearing in the hope it will jog someone’s memory.
Det Sgt Nash said: “We believe his body may have been in the undergrowth in the river for a considerable period of time.
“Our main priority is to trace this man’s family so they can lay him to rest. Therefore, we have now taken the step of releasing an image of one of the items of clothing that he was wearing to see if anyone recognises it, as the pattern on the front is quite distinctive.
“If you think you may have any information that could assist us in our investigation, please get in touch.”
You can email DS Nash at thomas.nash@herts.police.uk. You can also report information online at herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in the force communications room via online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call non-emergency number 101. Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the independent charity’s untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.
