Human remains found in Sutton-in-Ashfield identified as missing miner

Police have identified the human remains found in a field in Sutton-in-Ashfield following a successful DNA match.

Russell Lowbridge came forward following an appeal for information from Nottinghamshire Police. He was just four years old when his grandfather, Alfred Swinscoe, went missing in early 1967 after drinking at the Pinxton Miners Arms in Derbyshire.

Alfred's family have been waiting 56 years for answers after the 54-year-old went missing in 'mysterious and unusual circumstances'.

Russell, who's now aged 60, contacted police following a media appeal for information about the unidentified remains found on Coxmoor Road on 26th April this year.

DNA tests were carried out on Alfred’s son, now in his 70s, and matched against the bones.

Police have now launched a murder investigation and a team of detectives are working alongside a team of scientists to try and bring the killer to justice.

Alfred was a father-of-six and a miner, living in the village of Pinxton in Derbyshire when he went missing.

Alfred worked at Langton Colliery from the age of 14 and was last seen at work on January 20, 1967.

He was ‘a cutter’ known for operating a machine that cut large chunks of coal out of the coal face for others to break down.

He had the nickname ‘Sparrow’ and was known as the “Champion Pigeon Man of Pinxton” due to his love of pigeon racing.

Four of his six children are still alive and he has a number of grandchildren.

His last known sighting, the Pinxton Miners Arms on Church Street West, was popular among the mining community.

The pub, which no longer exists and has been converted into a house, is a short drive from where his remains were found in April.

His family have been informed of the DNA match and are being supported by specially trained officers as the investigation continues.

Detectives are now building up a picture of Alfred’s life, his past acquaintances, and a chronological order of what happened the night he went missing.

It is believed that Alfred was drinking with his two sons and friends on the night of his disappearance.

He was last seen at around 10.30pm when he gave his son some money to buy a round and then left to use the outside toilet. He never returned.

Detectives believe Alfred was killed and then buried in farmland around four to six ft deep.

There were also a number of traumatic injuries found on his skeletal remains, which are undergoing further analysis.

Further tests are also being carried out to determine how he was killed and how long he has been buried at the site in Coxmoor Road.

Work is also being carried out on clothes found with the remains including two socks and a shoe.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin said: “I cannot imagine how distressing this must have been for Alfred’s family who have been waiting 56 years for answers.

“Some of Alfred’s family members are no longer alive and will have died never knowing what happened to their loved one that night.

“All they know is Alfred went to the pub one evening and then never came home.

“We know that Alfred was murdered.

“We know this because it is quite obvious that whoever did this buried him in Coxmoor Road in the hope that no one would find him.

“Despite this being a crime that happened more than 50 years ago this will not stop us from using all the investigative skills at our disposal to find those responsible.

“We would like to thank the media and the public for sharing our appeals, which prompted Alfred’s grandson to come forward.

“Last week, we did not know who the man in the field was and had ruled out all three of our ‘no body’ murders through DNA testing.

“We knew the remains were male, between the ages of 40 to 60, and around 5ft 5ins tall. We now have a name. If we can understand how Alfred lived, then we can understand how he died.

“This investigation is moving at speed, and we would like to appeal to members of the public again for their help.

“We would like to hear from anyone with information about Alfred. Did you know him? Did you drink at the Pinxton Miners Arms at the same time as Alfred? Is there any information that could help us understand what happened that night?

“As time passes so do loyalties and we hope that people who may have had information at the time about his disappearance will come forward now.

“It is imperative that we find out what happened to Alfred to not only bring his family the closure they desperately need but to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

“His killer left six children without a father. His killer stole any chance of him building the strong and lasting bonds that grandparents have with their grandchildren.

“His killer left them with decades of unanswered questions about what happened to their loved one. We hope with the public’s help we can put that right.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room by clicking the online link below https://mipp.police.uk/operation/33EM22E48-PO1 or calling the incident room on 0800 096 0095.