Police still unable to identify man found dead in reserve

More information about a man found dead in Linton Park reserve, Rotorua is being released as police are yet to receive any information that will assist with identifying him.

He was found on Monday morning (5 May) and it is likely he died at the reserve some time over the weekend. His death is not believed to be suspicious but it is important to Police that he is identified and returned to his family.

The man is most likely Polynesian, but possibly Maori. Police are estimating his age as in his 20s but don't want anyone to rule out someone who is older or younger based on this estimate.

He has no tattoos but he does have two significant scars on his right inner forearm. One is a scar about 12cms long running from his wrist up his arm and the other is approximately 4cms long near the elbow joint. They are thick scars, more likely from an accident than surgery, and likely would have required stitches. On this same wrist he wore a plain plastic yellow wristband. He has short cropped hair and thin razored, well groomed sideburns and facial hair.

His clothing includes a blue 'Bulldogs' cap and black and red 'Nike' trainers He wore a khaki 'Dickies' shirt over a purple and yellow singlet with 'Lakers 24' on the front and 'BRYANT' on the back. Under that he wore a black t-shirt with a 'Crack a Woody' design. He also wore 'Dickies' shorts that matched his shirt and his belt had a distinctive steel buckle that doubled as a bottle opener.

Detective Sergeant Tony Colby said: "Although he was wearing casual clothes, he was noticeably clean and tidy, right down to his hair cut and neatly trimmed facial hair. The location would suggest that he is either local or familiar with the area and we find it extremely difficult to believe that this man hasn't got friends and family who may simply not have noticed him missing yet."

He was found in a small wooded area close to the rear of the Riri Street industrial area and a track that runs parallel to Mount View Drive.

Anyone who saw someone they know fitting this description in the area late last week or over the weekend is asked to contact Rotorua Police on 07 348 6199. Police are also urging people to consider any neighbours or friends who fit the description and notify police if someone who matches the description cannot be contacted or located.

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