Stay ConnectedFifty years ago, on March 26th 1971, the body of a young man was found in a secluded spot, an island in the River Trent with extremely limited access. He was buried in a kneeling position, naked except for socks and a wedding ring. His hands and ankles had been bound.
So began one of the UK’s most baffling murder mysteries, a grisly crime that has remained unsolved to this day.
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I needed to find the exact date of a story that appeared in the Burton Mail, as it could provide vital information. But how was I going to find three consecutive years of newspapers from 50 years ago - and what would they reveal?
I'm on the hunt for a man who vanished from Burton in 1971. But how do you find someone from 50 years ago who no one has been able to track down since?
A very good question leads to the next stage of the investigation, leading to a series of conversations which open up more and more lines of enquiry.
My most promising lead has disappeared at a critical point of the investigation and that means that my quest to find the identity of the body is at risk.
I'm on the trail of Jozsef Czenner, the man who seems to be associated with a series of strange coincidences. How exactly does he fit into the investigation?
Following the leads from the last episode, I get to work on trying to identify Joszi, the man someone had been looking for in early 1969. But then a discovery deep in the archives raises some further questions about what could have possibly happened to Joszi, and just maybe, an identity.
Sometimes, you've just got to follow the evidence wherever it leads you, and this time it led us to somebody with an amazing story to tell.
And one that brings us within touching distance of identifying the victim.
Over the years a number of missing people have emerged as potentially being the victim, and more recently a potential perpetrator has also emerged. We take a deep dive in to these claims and provide an update on the current investigation.
I discover that in 2013, the University of Derby was involved in work to recreate the skull in 3D form, at the same time they ran some tests that gave clear indications on possible nationality of the skull. I interview the project leader, it leads to an idea that, if true, might just bring us very close indeed to exactly who Fred the Head really is.
When we are trying to solve a 50-year-old cold case and I read in the local paper the headline "Man claims to speak to Fred the Head from beyond the grave", that's just too good an opportunity to miss. We interview him and this is that interview. Interesting......
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