// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Mystery of man found dead in wetsuit deepens as inquest questions ethnicity
Specialists used photographs, dental records and CT scans to digitally recreate the man's face
An unidentified man whose body was discovered in a reservoir in mid Wales two years ago may not have been of white ethnicity as previously thought, an inquest heard.
The body of the man, who was wearing an open water swimming wetsuit, was found by a dogwalker at the Claerwen Reservoir near Rhayader, Powys, in October 2024.
Despite a major international police appeal and the use of ground-breaking facial reimaging techniques, his identity and the cause of his death remain a mystery.
Coroner Patricia Morgan told detectives to analyse a liver sample given to the police two years ago which was never tested, adding she wanted to explore "this further line of inquiry" before reaching a conclusion.
The inquest heard the man's remains could have been in the water for more than three months before they were found.
Tests could determine if he had died before or after he entered the water.
It also emerged that although the force ran the man's DNA through police databases, they did not use commercial DNA sites which are commonly used by people investigating their family history and trying to make connections with long-lost relations.
Det Insp Anthea Ponting told the inquest via videolink that the force considered using such sites at the time but was told it could involve significant resources.
"We were advised we could have results into the thousands. The NCA (National Crime Agency) said they could filter them," she said.