A man without a name
A body was found by WA Police after being struck by a train on 7 March 1998, but unfortunately his identity still remains a mystery to this day.
WA Police Senior Constable Jen Robinson led the search for a family member, a friend – anyone who might have known the man but found no one.
Although ‘John Doe’ has been missing since 1998, we do not know if he is missed.
In an attempt to discover the identity of this man, DNA and fingerprinting testing was undertaken and ran both domestically and internationally. He was even profiled on national crime show ‘Australia Most Wanted’ in hope that someone would recognise his description and the circumstances surrounding his death – this was not the case.
What we do know is that he was between 20-40 years old and 170-175cm tall.
He had hazel eyes and thinning ginger-brown hair.
At the time he was wearing a green-blue business shirt, green trousers, a brown belt and black Rivers-branded shoes.
Beyond this, we can only speculate about this man and his life;
Did he have debts? Was he a visiting sailor or perhaps a local whose family relationships had broken down?
Was he a brother?
Was he a father?
Is there someone out there that thinks of him every morning and night, wondering where he has gone?
These are questions we sadly can’t answer.
Senior Constable Jen Robinson, who organised a funeral for the unknown man in 1999, wants answers as much as anyone. “We just wanted to be able to say to his family ‘we did give your son a farewell.’” Jen continues “The seventh of March doesn’t go by without me thinking of him - it’s like Remembrance Day for me.”
It shows that missing persons – even those police cannot identify – are never completely forgotten.
Cast your memory back, were you near Burswood or Victoria Park Train Stations in Perth on 7 March 1998? Did you know someone who went missing around that time? You may have a small piece of the larger picture.
Report any information through to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
