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<v Speaker 1>Hi, and welcome back to The Unseen Podcast, a podcast

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<v Speaker 1>dedicated to missing people, unresolved cases and UK true crime.

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<v Speaker 1>Today is day six of missing person episodes throughout December.

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<v Speaker 1>Today we're going to be looking at the case of

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<v Speaker 1>an unidentified person who has remained this way since nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>seventy nine. I'm extremely passionate about covering the cases of

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<v Speaker 1>unidentified people and always believes that they need more publicity.

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<v Speaker 1>A lot of the information I've used today has come

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<v Speaker 1>through the Locate International website as well as the UK

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<v Speaker 1>Missing Person's database. This episode is about an unidentified person

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<v Speaker 1>and so does not contain any descriptions of violence. However,

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<v Speaker 1>listener discretion is always advised. Riola Forest is in the

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<v Speaker 1>County of Neathport Talbot in the southwest of Wales. Is

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<v Speaker 1>located to the north of the Vale of Neath and

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<v Speaker 1>it's named after the small settlement that's grown up around

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<v Speaker 1>the area. On the ninth of December nineteen seventy nine,

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<v Speaker 1>scaltal remains were found within the Riola Forest. As these

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<v Speaker 1>remains were skeletal, investigators struggled to find out much about

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<v Speaker 1>who this man was. The investigators were able to ascertain

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<v Speaker 1>that he was around forty to sixty years old, and

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<v Speaker 1>he was about five feet eight to five feet ten

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<v Speaker 1>inches tall. When he was alive, he would have had

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<v Speaker 1>a stocky build. Even though these were only skeletal remains,

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<v Speaker 1>investigators were able to find out quite a lot about

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<v Speaker 1>what the man looked like. He had sharp, mixed light

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<v Speaker 1>brown hair with some gray streaks. They discovered that he

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<v Speaker 1>may have worn dentures, as there were no teeth visible

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<v Speaker 1>when he was found. Like with many unidentified person cases,

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<v Speaker 1>there is often not much to be discovered from these remains. However,

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<v Speaker 1>there was one quite noticeable and identifiable feature. The man

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<v Speaker 1>would have walked with a very pronounced limp due to

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<v Speaker 1>his right leg being unable to bend due to a

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<v Speaker 1>fused knee. For anyone that might have known this man

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<v Speaker 1>at any point, they may recognize this as it would

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<v Speaker 1>have been something quite specific. Aside from the man's physical features,

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<v Speaker 1>we do actually know quite a bit about his belongings,

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<v Speaker 1>as many things were found close to the man's remains.

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<v Speaker 1>He had a hold all with him, as well as

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<v Speaker 1>a brown imitation leather briefcase. He also had gray trousers,

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<v Speaker 1>two shirts, and a pair of green socks. It was

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<v Speaker 1>documents that were found close to the remains, however, that

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<v Speaker 1>have given the investigators the most clues as to where

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<v Speaker 1>the man might have been before he passed away. The

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<v Speaker 1>man had with him a Salvation Testament Bible which had

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<v Speaker 1>the name D. Mallon, along with a po box in Randburg,

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<v Speaker 1>Johannesburg in South Africa. This was one indication that there

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<v Speaker 1>was some sort of connection to South Africa. However, there

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<v Speaker 1>were also more clues that this was the case. He

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<v Speaker 1>also had a commemorative bookmark dated nineteen sixty from the

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<v Speaker 1>Roads Varsity Trekkers Eastern Mission in King Williamstown which is

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<v Speaker 1>now known as Quance. Another key piece of evidence was

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<v Speaker 1>a nineteen seventy seven flight timetable from London to Johannesburg

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<v Speaker 1>with South African Airways. Another connection to flying was also

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<v Speaker 1>found with his belongings, as he had an air mail

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<v Speaker 1>envelope on which he'd written information about a possible internal

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<v Speaker 1>flight to Durban. This handwriting seems to match the handwriting

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<v Speaker 1>which was found inside the Salvation Bible. It would seem

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<v Speaker 1>that the man may have made the flight to Heathrow

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<v Speaker 1>as the timetable suggested, as he also had some branded

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<v Speaker 1>notepaper from the Sheraton Hotel at Heathrow Airport. This was

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<v Speaker 1>blank with nothing recorded on it. All of these belongings

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<v Speaker 1>suggest that this man had come from South Africa to Heathrow. However,

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<v Speaker 1>why he did that or for what purpose was more

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<v Speaker 1>of a mystery. Given the bookmark found from nineteen sixty,

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<v Speaker 1>the man was either from South Africa or visited there

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<v Speaker 1>extremely regularly. There were also indications that the man traveled regularly, though,

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<v Speaker 1>as he had some US and Canadian coins with him,

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<v Speaker 1>suggesting that he'd visited those country before or recently. It

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<v Speaker 1>appears that from Heathrow he then at some point traveled

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<v Speaker 1>up to Wales, where he was found. He also had

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<v Speaker 1>with him a map of Wales and the Southwest, which

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<v Speaker 1>was issued by the Welsh Tourist Board. It seems as

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<v Speaker 1>though the man had intended on coming to Wales for

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<v Speaker 1>his trip, but again, for what purpose and when this

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<v Speaker 1>happened is unknown. From information that we do have, it

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<v Speaker 1>appears that investigators may believe the man was in the

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<v Speaker 1>area in nineteen seventy eight, and the medical report states

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<v Speaker 1>that he could have died between nine and eighteen months

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<v Speaker 1>before he was discovered. Well Kate International have compiled a

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<v Speaker 1>list of questions which may help jog the public's memory

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<v Speaker 1>of the man, despite how long has gone by since

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<v Speaker 1>the discovery of his remains. Do you remember someone fitting

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<v Speaker 1>this description in South Wales in or around nineteen seventy eight?

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<v Speaker 1>Were you the owner of a bed and breakfast our

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<v Speaker 1>guest house at that time and have a record or

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<v Speaker 1>even a memory of this man as a guest in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventy eight, regardless of how vague. Did you work

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<v Speaker 1>in a hotel during the late nineteen seventies and remember

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<v Speaker 1>a visitor leaving behind possessions? What happened to those possessions?

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<v Speaker 1>Did you drive a taxi in the mid to late

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<v Speaker 1>seventies Was this man a passenger in your cab? Were

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<v Speaker 1>you a chapelgoer in South Wales and the Vale of

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<v Speaker 1>Neath in particular during this period and remember someone fitting

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<v Speaker 1>this description, even if it was just once. Did you

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<v Speaker 1>work in the mining industry during the mid to late

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventies and possibly meet this man in your line

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<v Speaker 1>of work? Do you remember someone who was from South

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<v Speaker 1>Africa or who spoke of South Africa who walks with

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<v Speaker 1>a heavy limp. Were you involved in the anti apartheid movement.

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<v Speaker 1>Some prominent members lived near Resolve in Wales after leaving

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<v Speaker 1>South Africa. Did you work in the nineteen seventies with

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<v Speaker 1>organizations concerned with the rehabilitation of prisons? And do you

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<v Speaker 1>recall a South African working for such an organization? These

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<v Speaker 1>questions do give us some indication about possible theories for

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<v Speaker 1>why the man was in the area. The questions do

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<v Speaker 1>give us some indication about possible theories for why the

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<v Speaker 1>man was in the area. The question about the anti

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<v Speaker 1>apartheid movement may suggest that the man may have known

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<v Speaker 1>some people in the area of Resolvin, which is not

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<v Speaker 1>far from where the remains were found, had he come

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<v Speaker 1>over to visit someone he knew from South Africa. The

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<v Speaker 1>fact that they wanted to speak to any churchgoers also

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<v Speaker 1>suggest that this man may have had religious connections. Like

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<v Speaker 1>many unidentified person cases, there is never much to go on,

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<v Speaker 1>but actually in this case, his many belongings do paint

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<v Speaker 1>a picture of a man who was well traveled, organized

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<v Speaker 1>with his plans, and in possession of a way to

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<v Speaker 1>support himself. Someone must have known this man, either in

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<v Speaker 1>the UK or in South Africa, and this must ring

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<v Speaker 1>some bells to some one. Please share this information with

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<v Speaker 1>anyone you think may know something, and if you do

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<v Speaker 1>know something, please contact either Locate International or the Missing

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<v Speaker 1>Person's UK Database. I will link both of these in

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<v Speaker 1>the show notes. Thank you for listening to day six

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<v Speaker 1>of twelve Days of Missing Person Episodes in December. Stay

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<v Speaker 1>tuned for Day seven in a couple of days. If

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<v Speaker 1>you'd like to support the podcast further, then you can

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<v Speaker 1>on Patreon and contribute to exclusive polls to get extra

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<v Speaker 1>bonus episodes every month. You can also get access to

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<v Speaker 1>new episodes early and ad free. You can use the

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<v Speaker 1>link in the show notes to visit Patreon and see

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<v Speaker 1>what we offer. You can also support us by reviewing

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast wherever you listen, including Spotify, and also just

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<v Speaker 1>share the episodes as our ways. I'm Caprice and this

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<v Speaker 1>has been unseen the