A breakthrough investigation of the skeletal remains found alongside a pair of cowboy boots three years ago in St. Osyth has finally led authorities to the identification of the dead body. Essex Police have put a name to the remains and officially confirmed them to be that of William “Bill” Long. Long’s skeleton and cowboy boots were discovered by a site worker at a scrapyard near Cockett Wick Lane on April 25, 2019.
According to Essex Live, investigators said Long was last seen alive between March 1999 and March 2000. He had a girlfriend at the time who moved to Australia. He is believed to be in his 70s, had he been alive now and forensics are still currently trying to determine the cause of his death but many speculations based on evidence point to homicide, although cops are still looking into forensic evidence. Specialist assistance from a forensic anthropologist is being utilized along with a review of historic missing person reports. Cops are also sifting through records at the Department of Work and Pensions, financial institutions, and the NHS for possible leads to retracing Long’s steps to determine the time of his death.
"Bill’s family have been told and they now have the chance to lay him to rest. They have questions about what happened to him and our focus now is to get them answers. We’re keeping an open mind as to what happened to Bill and how he came to be where he was found,” Detective Inspector Kevin Hughes, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said.
The Inspector has urged anyone who knew Long or has spoken to him or can provide any information about his life at the time of his demise to speak with authorities. Long’s sister told officials that she had lost contact with her brother after their father died in 1996. She said that they had been desperate for any information that could lead them to his whereabouts as he is described by his family as someone vulnerable and quite the easy target for anyone looking to take advantage of people.
“We feel so guilty that we didn’t go back to Jaywick to make sure he was ok,” his sister said.
