Family of murdered Derbyshire man pleas for help to discover what happened to him

Alfred Swinscoe went missing in early 1967 after drinking at the Miners Arms in Pinxton.

In April, human bones were found by construction workers in a field off Coxmoor Road in Sutton.

However, police were unable to determine the identity of the victim and appealed for the public’s help.

One of those who came forward was Russell Lowbridge – Alfred’s grandson.

And DNA tests subsequently carried out on him and other family members were matched against the bones exhumed from the ground.

Police have launched a murder investigation and a team of dedicated detectives are working alongside a team of scientists to bring his killer to justice.

And now the family have added their voices to that appeal.

In a family statement, Mr Lowbridge said: “Following a media appeal about human remains found in Coxmoor Road in Sutton, I felt compelled to contact Nottinghamshire Police for a number of reasons.

“One, the height of the unidentified remains – 5ft 5in – was the same height as my late grandfather.

“Two, the distinctive socks found with his remains brought back memories from my childhood and I had a distinct feeling I had seen them somewhere before.

“And three, my grandfather went missing in 1967 and the site is, not too far from where he went drinking that night.

“We never thought that the hunch I had would ever come true when we underwent DNA testing.

“This has filled our family with very mixed emotions, relief that we can finally put my grandfather to rest but incredible pain and sadness to uncover what had happened to him.

“He was murdered and then buried so no-one could ever find him.

“His disappearance tormented my Uncle Gary his whole life and he to his grave never knowing what happened to his dad.

He just remembers his dad giving him a ten bob note in the Pinxton Miners Arms that night, telling him to get a round, and then never ever seeing him again.

"It completely broke him, never knowing what happened to his dad.

“It has also broken my mum, Julie Swinscoe, who was only 25 at the time her dad was reported missing.

"She is now 82 and does not want to leave this Earth never knowing why her dad was taken away from her so brutally.

"Whoever did this robbed generations of a grandfather and great grandfather and left six children without a father.

“Two of those children are no longer here.

"This has been a mystery that has haunted our family for decades, it never goes away and it never provides answers.

"Everything I know about my grandfather is second-hand because that opportunity was never given to me because someone took that away.

“While we might be able to give my grandfather the proper funeral he deserves we still don’t have the answers we desperately need.

"We hope that someone out there can help change that.

"We urge anyone with information, no matter how small, to contact Nottinghamshire Police as soon as possible.

"Please help us understand what happened.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room by clicking here or alternatively, call the incident room on 0800 096 0095.