Investigators are hoping someone in the Calgary area can help them identify a man who died near Prince George, B.C., last year.
Hikers found the man's body in the woods outside of Prince George in November 2010, but he wasn't carrying any ID and efforts by police and the B.C. Coroners Service have failed to turn up any solid leads about his identity.
The man's personal effects — including a backpack bearing the logo of a Calgary radio station — have led investigators to believe he was travelling in the area and may have come from southern Alberta.
The man wasn't the victim of foul play, but authorities said their work isn't done.
“This is about finding his family and letting them know this poor guy has died,” said Stephen Fonseca of the B.C. chief coroner's office.
Investigators have also done a facial reconstruction based on the man's remains and believe he's an adult of east African descent, possibly Somali, Eritrean or Ethiopian.
Fonseca admits the man's backpack emblazoned with a CJAY92 logo is a tenuous connection to Calgary — it could have been bought at a thrift store elsewhere — but it's one tangible piece of information amid a dearth of much other evidence.
The coroners service and police checked the man's details against missing persons reports across the country and there have been no matches, Fonseca said.
A Prince George transit schedule, well-worn work shoes and a hotel receipt found among the man's property are other indications the man was visiting the area.
Frustratingly, a portion of the hotel bill that would have borne the man's name was torn off.
“I think he was doing some labour work and had to leave home to work somewhere,” said Fonseca.
That might also explain why the man hasn't been reported missing: his loved ones may not have been expecting to hear from him all this time.
The man is believed to have been between 20 and 30 years old and stood between five foot six and five foot 10, with a slim build.
He was wearing blue jeans, size 10 shoes, a brown long-sleeved shirt with a Corona beer logo, a black hoodie, blue-tinted wraparound sunglasses and a red-and-white ski jacket.
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