Body found in shallow grave in 1971 is not missing man

The body of a man found in a shallow grave by a river 1971 is not that of missing John Henry Jones, police have confirmed.

Mr Jones went missing in north Wales in November 1970.

The unidentified man was discovered in a by the River Trent in Staffordshire in March 1971.

Detective Inspector Dan Ison, who is investigating the man's identity, said Mr Jones was one of the names he wanted to eliminate from his enquiries.

Work carried out by a dental expert suggested similarities between his teeth and the man found in Staffordshire.

His family made contact with police following an appeal on BBC's Crimewatch Roadshow in June, revealing a new facial reconstruction.

However a DNA sample did not provide a match.

We are extremely grateful for the assistance Mr Jones's family, the public and media have given us with this case.

While the DNA test has not resulted in an identification of the body found in Burton, we have been able to rule Mr Jones out of our enquiries.

Forty-six years have passed, but the investigation remains open and we’d ask people to check the image and contact us if they have new information.

The man found beside the River Trent is described as: