Anish Vij
The family of a man who went missing after visiting the restroom at his local bar have finally got some answers 57 years later.
Father-of-six Alfred Swinscoe, 54, went to the Miners Arms bar in Nottinghamshire, UK in January 1967 and was never seen again.
Around 10.30pm, he told his son to buy a round of drinks while he went to visit the bathroom.
That was the last time his family saw him.
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For over five decades his loved ones have been left without any sort of closure, until now.
Earlier this year, Nottinghamshire police identified two people who are suspected of murder.
Though these individuals have now died.
The breakthrough came after Alfred's remains were found in a farmer's field in Sutton-in-Ashfield in April 2023.
Grandson Russell Lowbridge, who was four when his granddad went missing, said: “I didn’t pay much attention to begin with, but then police posted a photo of a pair of odd socks and I had this incredible flashback, with the black sock in particular.
“I suddenly remembered as a kid putting on my granddad’s sock and pulling them up so the heel came right up to my knee.
“I called police and they came to take a DNA swab. That’s when we found out that it really was Alfred. I was shocked and flabbergasted.
“He was murdered quite viciously. There was blunt force trauma to the head and sharp force trauma to the jaw lines, so it might have been the edge of a spade, and possibly stabbing afterwards.
“They said he fought for his life. There were signs of a broken hand, as if he’d given somebody a good right hook.
“And they found trauma to his ribs and his back, as if he'd been grappling with someone and they'd been punching him in the ribs.
“Police believe he’d been left somewhere for a week or more before they buried him, because there were fingers and ribs missing as if he’d been ravaged by foxes and badgers. Whoever killed him went back to make sure he was never found.”
Police say one of the two suspects had a history of violence, and the injuries found on Alfred were similar to injuries he'd inflicted on a man he was convicted of assaulting in April 1966.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Alfred died in the most horrendous way imaginable.
“Not only did he suffer violent injuries, but he was then buried in a field so that no one would find him.
“What makes this crime even more distressing is that it has taken more than 50 years for his remains to be found and for his family to be reunited with their loved one so he can have a proper burial.
“Of course, there will be little relief for his family as there are still so many unanswered questions of what happened that night and the motive behind his murder.
“Many of the people who would have been with Alfred that night, or knew Alfred, are no longer alive and we may never get the full picture of what occurred in January 1967.
“That certainly hasn’t stifled our determination to investigate this crime and leave no stone unturned to find his killer or killers.”
Police are still investigating the case and anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room by clicking the online link https://mipp.police.uk/operation/33EM22E48-PO1 or calling 101 quoting incident number 648 of the 26th April 2023.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111