THE body of a man will be exhumed from an Anglesey cemetery as police look to solve a 29 year old mystery.
Police will remove the man, who is thought in have been in his 30s, from Menai Bridge cemetery next week in a bid to identify him.
Officers hope to return the man, who was found on an Anglesey beach in 1983, to his family for a formal burial.
DC Don Kenyon of North Wales Police said the death is not thought to be suspicious.
He added: “The family has been made aware of the proposed exhumation and are supportive of the action.
“This will be a very emotional time for them and they have been reassured that we will conduct the whole process in the most dignified and sensitive way possible.”
The cemetery will be closed for the day. DNA samples will be compared to samples from possible family members.
A police investigation to identify the man after his body was discovered proved fruitless.
However, today’s DNA technology may now be able to reveal the man’s identify. It is hoped that the DNA analysis results will be complete within three weeks of the exhumation.
DC Kenyon has notified families of those buried in adjacent graves, and those who live around the cemetery, as he is aware exhumation is a rare and sometimes sensitive process.
He said: “I am very conscious of the feelings of all concerned, families of those buried in the cemetery and the surrounding community and can assure all that due regard and respect will be paid during the process, which we hope to have concluded by late afternoon”