CCTV released in bid to identify mystery Barnsley murder victim

The man is seen on the images walking along Hanson street, leading to the Civic Gardens, also known as Mandela Gardens, at 3.05pm on Sunday, 17 June, just half an hour before reports were received by police from Yorkshire Ambulance Service that he had taken ill.

Officers attended following the report however the man was pronounced deceased at the scene. A post-mortem examination carried out yesterday (Monday 18 June) revealed the cause of death was a head injury.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Steve Whittaker, said: “We have conducted numerous enquires over the last 48-hours in an attempt to identify the man and to be able to inform any family or friends of his death, but to no avail.

“We believe he may be Eastern European, possibly from the Polish community, and I would encourage anyone who believes they may know who he is, whether a family member or a work colleague or house mate, to please make contact with us.

“We know on the day he was wearing a grey coloured long sleeve zip up top with a round neck red top underneath, with a slightly padded jacket with no hood. He was also wearing blue jeans with a black belt and two tone coloured trainers and a grey baseball cap.

“He also had on him a red lanyard with a set of keys attached, as shown in the image, and he was carrying a black carrier bag. Do you recognise these keys?

“He is a white, in his 30s, 5ft 7ins tall and of a medium build. On the day he was clean shaven and his hair was cropped short, light brown in colour. His eyes are light coloured and he was wearing glasses.

“Do you recognise him from the image or the description? Do you know who he is? Please get in touch if you can help, as it is imperative that we identify him and are able to trace any family and friends to inform them of his death.

“I would also continue to appeal to anyone who may have been in Mandela Gardens and the surrounding area between 3 to 3.30pm, or believes they may have seen the man or witnessed any suspicious activity or behaviour, to please come forward if they can offer any information.”

A team of detectives are working on the case to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the man’s death, to understand exactly what happened and to piece together his movements and the precise circumstances. Eldon Street has now been reopened and the police cordon lifted following various work and analysis carried out and completed at the scene.

A 43-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder on Sunday has been released under investigation as enquiries continue.

A 27-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman arrested yesterday afternoon on suspicion of theft remain in police custody.

If you can help, please call 101, or anonymously make contact with Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, quoting incident number 605 of 17 June 2018.