Mystery remains over the grisly death of an unidentified man whose ‘shredded’ body parts were found at a skip yard almost three years ago.
The man’s mulched remains were unearthed by horrified workers at Skelton Skips, in Knowsthorpe Way, Leeds in October 2022.
Police today said they could not ‘rule out’ if he had been the victim of a gangland hit – with investigators from Britain’s own FBI, the National Crime Agency, now involved in the probe.
The man’s body parts were put through an industrial machine at the waste plant which, ground them into a bloody pulp.
A severed foot was found by staff on a conveyor belt, while a further search by police discovered parts of his head and neck, pieces of his chest, abdomen and limbs in other parts of the facility. All his internal organs were also missing, an inquest heard.
The man, aged at least 22, is thought to have had his fingers removed, making identification of the remains even trickier. His toes had also been ‘bluntly amputated’.
Despite an extensive investigation by West Yorkshire Police, detectives and forensic experts were unable to identify the male.
Speaking today, Temporary Detective Superintendent Damian Roebuck of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team told the Daily Mail: ‘His death is being treated as unexplained and we therefore cannot at this time rule out the possibility that he died in suspicious circumstances.
The ‘shredded’ remains of a man were found at by horrified workers at Skelton Skips, in Knowsthorpe Way, Leeds in October 2022
‘A full DNA profile has been obtained, but this does not match any individual profile held on the National DNA database.
‘We have worked with the National Missing Persons Unit and Interpol to try and identify the male but again there has been no match.
‘Enquiries will remain ongoing into the man’s death and his identity, and we will continue to work with our forensic team and colleagues from the National Crime Agency.’
An inquest into the man’s death, held at Wakefield Coroners’ Court this week, heard his body parts had been ‘completely disrupted’ by the machine’s shredding process, which is designed to chop items into chunks no bigger than 12 inches.
The human remains had been examined by Home Office pathologist Dr Michael Parsons, who said the body parts had been found full of dirt and debris from the shredding process.
In a 32-page report to Coroner Oliver Longstaff, Dr Parsons said the body had been so disfigured, it was impossible to say what happened in the moments before it was ripped apart
The examination found ‘no marks to support dismemberment’ by a knife or similar.
Dr Parsons said there was nothing to suggest the man had been assaulted but it was unrealistic to exclude the possibility that a third party had been involved in his death in some way.
Forensic experts trawled every area of the site to recover the unknown male’s remains
Temporary Detective Superintendent Damian Roebuck (pictured) of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said officers were still trying to identify the man
The pathologist was also unable to confirm whether the man was alive or dead when he entered the waste processor.
However, toxicology tests suggested he was not intoxicated at the time of his death.
The man, thought to be between 5ft 6in and 5ft 8ins had dark hair, dark stubble, dark body hair, and relatively light skin.
He had poor dental health and had feet that were at least a UK size five. No tattoos or distinctive marks were found.
Dr Parsons concluded the cause of the man’s death may never be known. The coroner described the body as being in a state of ‘catastrophic disruption’ due to being ‘shredded’ at the waste depot.
‘The state of the remains meant that no cause of death could be given,’ said Dr Parsons.
He recorded an open conclusion, a legal term which means that there was insufficient evidence to provide answers to the key questions.
Mr Longstaff publicly thanked Dr Parsons and his anthropologist colleagues Dr Julie Roberts and Dr Micol Zuppello for their work on a ‘very unusual and very sad case’.
Anyone with information about the man is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police by calling 101 or go online, quoting reference 392 of 31/10/2022.
Alternatively, call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
