WITH such advanced forensic technology at their disposal, it's rare these days for police to be unable to identify a body, especially almost a year after the remains were found.

But that's the position in which Gloucestershire Police find themselves and why they are appealing for the public to help them identify the man who was found dead near the A419, between Stroud and Cirencester, in May last year.

This is where other technological advances, namely communications in the form of social media, can play a huge part in solving the identity mystery.

With the media – including this newspaper – publishing an image of the man's face created through reconstruction software, that picture will no doubt be shared widely on Facebook and Twitter and, as a result, with so many people on social media these days, there's a good chance we will find someone who recognises him.

There will be people out there who miss this man and want to know what happened to him. Let's hope we find them.