Man Found Dead in Reservoir Gets Face Through Avatar Technology Used for Richard III

Solving a Mystery with Cutting-Edge Technology

A man found dead in a remote Welsh reservoir has been given a face using the same technology that helped recreate a state-of-the-art avatar of King Richard III. The discovery of the badly decomposed body, floating in a wetsuit in the Claerwen reservoir in October 2024, has left police baffled and desperate to uncover his identity.

Detectives are not ruling out the possibility that he may be a victim of crime. His body was placed in a wetsuit and dumped in the reservoir, potentially to throw off the investigation. Despite efforts to identify him through DNA, fingerprints, and dental records, no matches were found in the police national computer or Interpol databases.

The case took an unexpected turn when the police chief in charge of the investigation recalled how scientists had reconstructed the face of King Richard III from remains found under a Leicester car park. This led to a collaboration with Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University, which specializes in facial imaging using art and science.

Face Lab is known for creating a digital speaking avatar of King Richard III using forensic cranial reconstruction of his remains found in 2013. In this case, the team was provided with photographs, a post-mortem report, a forensic dental report, and a CT scan of the mystery man found in the reservoir north of Rhayader, Powys.

Using medical imaging software, the team created a 3D model of the man's face. They used his dentistry to determine the shape of his lower face and mouth, including protruding teeth and a left-sided crossbite. The shape of the man's face, lips, and nose were estimated, along with the addition of muscles. It was established that he had a rounded chin, square jawline, and downturned nose.

Inspector Anthea Ponting, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: "Thanks to Face Lab, we have now been provided with a very clear and detailed estimation of what the man looked like. The image has already been processed through the Police National Computer and has been shared with Interpol."

"This is someone's family member, and I would like nothing more than to return him to his loved ones who might be missing him."

The body was discovered by a dog walker at the 650-acre reservoir, which supplies water to Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Police are still puzzled because no car was left abandoned in a car park, and no clothes were found anywhere in the desolate beauty spot. Inspector Ponting said, "Until now, the only item available to progress our investigation was the wetsuit the man was wearing, which provided us with limited information around his height and weight."

"We are looking for a breakthrough to discover who he is, where he came from, and how he lost his life. We want people to have a close look at the man's face and if you think you know him, please come forward."

Police say they are keeping an open mind about how the mystery man died and why no one has reported him missing over the last 15 months. A post-mortem examination revealed the man, aged between 30 and 60, had been in the water for up to 12 weeks.

His Zone 3 Agile wetsuit is an Extra Large, which equates to him being over 6ft tall and weighing about 202–220lbs with a 44–48-inch chest.

Professor Caroline Wilkinson, Director of Face Lab, which works with police forces worldwide, said: "Facial depiction from human remains can act as a tool for recognition, providing new lines of investigation in relation to identity. Hopefully, someone who knew this man will now recognize his face, and our facial depiction can support the police to finally identify him."