Seven dead bodies found in Cornwall remain unidentified and their cases are unsolved. The bodies discovered across a seven-decade period have left emergency services stumped.
When bodies are discovered, they usually undergo a formal identification process so they can be returned to their friends and family, but not everybody can be identified. The seven in Cornwall include a woman suspected to be in her 20s and a man found in heavy surf on the very day he died. Some date all the way back to the 1960s and one was found as recently as 2020.
Information is available publicly for those who may be able to help identify them or may be looking for answers as to where their missing loved ones are. According to the UK Missing Persons Unit and the National Crime Agency, there are still seven people who have been found in Cornwall who remain unidentified.
See below for details including the location, description and estimated ages of the seven deceased individuals whose identity has sadly never been confirmed according to the UK Missing Persons Unit (MPU).
Not listed, however, is the story of a young man found dead atop cliffs in South East Cornwall in January 1982. You can read more about this unidentified gentleman, here, bringing the number of bodies to eight.
Time Line
Unidentified bodies found in Cornwall
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7. September 5, 1969
The body of a male was recovered from the sea near Cadgwith having been believed to have been in the water for three to four months.
It was estimated the deceased was between the ages of 35 and 45 and was deemed to be white European in ethnicity.
The body was 178cm (5 ft 10 ins) with an unknown eye colour and no details on hair colour or facial hair. He was wearing a blue, sailing smock type jacket, a white vest, a multi-checked grey, blue and black check cotton shirt with a label reading ‘l’hermaine marque de poste’.
He was also wearing blue jeans marked ‘le glazik quimper,’ a brown leather belt, leather brown open toe sandals and a ‘vilmor’ watch. He also had a pen knife in his possession.
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6. January 22, 1978
The decomposed body of a male was found on Porthcothan beach, believed to have been in the water for at least one month.
Described as white European, 170cm (5 ft 6 ins) and of large build the body is also described as having a distinguishing feauture of a mark on the man’s genitals.
Clothing included a beige shirt with a 16 inch collar and a white, orange and dark tan pattern, ‘Wrangler’ jeans. orange socks and a size 9 left shoe.
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5. August 24, 1979
The body of a female was found washed ashore on Millook beach. Believed to have been in the water for three to six months, it was described as decomposed at the time.
The person was estimated to have been between 25 and 30 and white European. She was also described as of thin build with an unknown eye colour. That is all of the information available.
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4. July 16, 1977
The body of a male, estimated to be between the ages of 30 and 45, was recovered from the sea at Newquay. Described as decomposed, it was estimated the deceased may have been dead for anywhere from ten days to three months.
The body was described as white Euopean, 178cm in height (5 ft 10 ins) and of large build. He had dark brown, collar length hair and an unknown eye colour. The body had a distinguishing feature of a scar on the genital area and was wearing a brown Bucci shirt with a size 15.5 collar.
He was also wearing blue Levi jeans, blue y-front underwear and navy blue woollen socks.
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3. September 26, 1997
The body of a white European male was found floating in the sea at Porthgwarra. Believed to have been in the water for up to seven days, the man’s body was described as 173cm in height (5 ft 8 ins), with an unknown eye colour and a significant scar in the centre of his forehead from above the nose to the scalp.
Estimated to be in the age range between 35 and 55, he was wearing a Cottonfield denim jacket, black Levi 501s, a yellow Lacoste polo shirt, brown socks and blue Jockey t-front underwear.
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2. October 12, 2001
Believed to have been in the water for between two weeks and two months the body of a white European male was found north of Trevose Head.
With a broad estimated age range of between 40 and 100, the man was 185cm tall (6ft) with little other details provided.
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September 24, 2020
A male was found deceased in the heavy surf on the shoreline of Sennen beach. Described as being of Asian ethnicity and 188cm tall (6ft 2ins), the male’s estimated death was that same day.
He had grey hair and stubble for facial hair with his eye colour unknown and was described as being of slim build. There is a photo of the deceased, estimated to have been between the ages of 50 and 60, on the Missing Persons Unit website, here.
The MPU provide’s support and advice to police forces to resolve missing person cases and assist in the identification of bodies and remains. It also maintains a central national database of missing persons and unidentified cases, which you can access here.
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