Human bones found near Wombwell identified

The bones were found on land off Mitchell Street in Swaithe on February 4 and are believed to have been there for a number of years.

Police have now revealed that the remains are of Martin Neil Radford who was born on October 28, 1957.

Temporary Det Insp Stuart Hall said: “Since the discovery of the bones, a team of officers and staff – some in incredibly specialised areas of forensic science – have worked incredibly hard to ascertain the identity of the deceased.

“Now we have identified Mr Radford and notified his family, we must now establish the circumstances leading up to his disappearance and subsequent death.

“The initial postmortem was incapable of discerning a cause of death. However, initial enquiries have not established any apparent criminality.

“Nevertheless, we must make every effort to understand what happened to Mr Radford so we can offer his loved ones some closure.

“Our enquiries have thus far revealed that the last time Mr Radford was seen or heard from was at the end of March 2015, when he was 57 years old.

"After this time, there is no further contact recorded or that we’re currently aware of.

“Mr Radford had been living in the Kingstone area of Barnsley up until the end of 2014, but from early 2015 he seems to have led a transient lifestyle and it is this period of time we are seeking to learn more about.

“Our new appeal, therefore, is to speak to anyone who knew Mr Radford and may be able to help us account for his movements, in particular after the end of March 2015. Do you know where he was living? Were you a friend or associate?”

Anyone who can help the police should call 101 quoting incident number 605 of February 4 2018.

Alternatively, people are asked to access the UK Police Major Incident Public Reporting site at https://mipp.police.uk and select South Yorkshire Police – Operation Reims.