The young man whose badly burnt body was found on a golf course on the edge of Brighton and Hove probably died from a blow to the head.
Eight hours of post-mortem tests have been unable to reveal what caused the fatal head injury but further tests are taking place.
Detective Chief Inspector Trevor Bowles is leading the investigation into the suspected murder after the man’s body was found by golfers just before noon on Saturday.
He said: “Initial results from the post mortem, which took eight hours, suggest that this young man died from a head injury.
“We have not established yet what may have caused the injury and further examination of the body and tests are being carried out.
“We now know that the man was probably in his late teens or twenties, was 5ft 4in and of very slim build.
“What is particularly significant is that he had an upper dental plate with five false teeth – very unusual in a person of that age.
“It is essential that we identify this young man as soon as possible.”
Sussex Police Major Crime Branch detectives are urging people to consider if anyone they know
- has been missing since the beginning of the month or longer
- is about 18 to 30 years old
- is of a very slim build and about 5ft 4in tall
- has significant tattooing with some uncompleted tattoos on his upper arms
- has a dental plate with false teeth.
Mr Bowles said: “If you recognise this description please call 0845 6070999.”
The body was found in undergrowth at The Dyke Golf Club in Devil’s Dyke Road, across the road from the Devil’s Dyke between the 17th and 18th holes.
Detectives believe that the victim was killed elsewhere before being brought to the golf course and set on fire.
His body was found with a foot missing although detectives believe that this is most likely to have resulted from an animal trying to drag the body away.
Search teams and scenes of crime officers are still at the scene and are likely to remain there for a few more days.
A DNA sample has been taken from the victim’s body. It will only identify the victim if he is already on the national DNA database. A result is expected tomorrow.
No national dental database exists so it is unlikely that he will be identified by his dental plate. This could though be used to confirm his identity.
In the meantime police are continuing to check missing person records.
Anyone with information is urged to call Sussex Police on 0845 6070999 or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
