The invisible man: Bryan died in an accident in 2015. Why did it take 10 years to identify him?

Unidentified in London: The Enigma of the Man Known as Brian Wallace

At 10:20 PM on January 22, 2015, a black Mercedes C-Class struck a middle-aged, heavyset man at a busy intersection in Walthamstow, northeast London. Paramedics transported the individual to the Royal London Hospital, where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries. Initial news reports in the local press described a regrettable, yet seemingly straightforward, traffic incident. The motorist was promptly apprehended and charged with suspicion of causing fatality by dangerous driving. Police officials from the Metropolitan Police believed the deceased to be a well-known local builder residing on nearby Chingford Road for approximately twenty years. However, this initial assessment soon faltered. A significant problem emerged: the man’s formal identification proved impossible.

The Mystery Deepens: A Search for Identity

The enigma intensified when a police inquiry of the man’s residence yielded no identifying documents or details regarding next-of-kin. Residents recalled a polite, reclusive person who rarely, if ever, discussed his personal life. Some vaguely remembered a name: Brian Wallace, a dependable handyman with a slight northern accent, who might have mentioned family in Sheffield, although specifics remained uncertain. The phone he carried on the night of the incident contained only work contacts. His flatmate offered minimal assistance, mentioning only brief pleasantries and a vague reference to a sister in Neasden, a district in north London. As weeks extended into months, even these tenuous clues faded into silence. It appeared that Brian Wallace – if that was indeed his name – had lived a life shrouded in anonymity.

The Broader Issue of Unidentified Individuals

Uncertainty surrounding cases like this presents a series of significant challenges. Practically, essential posthumous tasks require completion. Furthermore, potential relatives or loved ones may be left in anguish, desperately seeking answers. This absence of knowledge can impose a heavy psychological burden. My personal experience writing about the missing, notably my two-decade separation from my Spanish father, Christobal, underscores this point. In early 2021, contact from family in Andalusia informed me of his death, bringing a peculiar sense of resolution.

National Scale of Missing Persons and Unidentified Bodies

Brian Wallace’s situation is not unique. The UK Missing Persons Unit database, managed by the National Crime Agency, contains over 13,000 entries, a number that has sharply increased in the last decade, with new cases added weekly. Currently, over 500 files detailing unidentified bodies are available online, hoping someone might hold the key to their identities.

The collective impact is overwhelming, akin to examining a vast mosaic, its mismatched components gathered from across decades and regions like rural Scotland to the Channel Islands. The level of information varies considerably. Some files include photographs of the deceased, while others present forensic artist renderings. Distinctive tattoos or clothing, such as a faded panther tattoo or a gaudy imitation designer sweater, are sometimes noted. Other cases offer clearer clues, like the man discovered near Tower Bridge in May 2003 with a note reading: “My name is Patrick Jones. I have no relatives.” The oldest case dates back to October 1966, an unrecognised body found in a derelict house in east London, with the sole descriptor: “possibly a vagrant.”

The Unusual Case of Brian Wallace: Photos and Potential Leads

Brian Wallace’s case was immediately distinct. Authorities not only believed they had a name but also possessed photographs. One image, extracted from bus CCTV footage, depicted a middle-aged man with light stubble wearing a checked overshirt. Another showed the same man in a bright yellow anorak, hood tightly drawn, looking directly at a camera. A printed photograph of Wallace on a canal boat, in the same attire, was found in his flat. Despite available material, resources for comprehensive investigation may have been lacking. Resolving unidentified body cases often requires specialized expertise and unwavering resolve, increasingly scarce commodities in under-resourced and stretched police forces nationwide.

Locate International: Filling the Gaps in Cold Cases

Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Greenhalgh, CEO of Locate International, explains, “It’s the ‘Swiss cheese model,’ where minor issues accumulate into a larger problem. Police services frequently lack the necessary time and resources to investigate these dormant cases. They are overwhelmed with daily demands… that’s where we can step in to bridge the deficits.”

Freya Couzens and the Work of Locate International

Freya Couzens, a London-based digital marketing professional in her early thirties, began volunteering at Locate International in spring 2021. This charity, co-founded two years prior by Dave Grimstead, a retired detective inspector with extensive experience in child homicide and serious crime investigations, focuses on providing closure for families of long-term missing individuals and identifying the unknown deceased. Today, Locate International comprises over 300 specialist volunteers, including experts in genealogy and forensic imaging, and media professionals skilled in social media outreach and appeals. Their resourcefulness and tenacity—partnering with universities like Winchester to develop investigative tools, including geoforensic searches for clandestine graves—have yielded notable successes. In 2024, they reviewed 254 cases, achieving significant progress in several. Their website lists current investigations, each with a distinct identifier: Bromley Woman (body discovered April 2004), Ballast Quay Man (January 2011), Dave the Busker (April 2002).

The Puzzling Case of Brian Wallace and the Scale of Missing Persons

Brian Wallace stood out to Couzens as seemingly unique with an apparent full name, address, and photographs, making his unidentified status perplexing. For many, the annual occurrence of hundreds of unidentified deaths in the UK is difficult to comprehend. In an increasingly interconnected world, this type of ambiguity might appear to be a diminishing problem.

Life Off-Grid: The Challenge of Identification

However, the UK contains many isolated and marginalized individuals, living on the fringes of society. People like Brian Wallace, who blend unnoticed in crowded pubs or busy construction sites – fleeting figures barely registered. Evidence suggested a man deliberately detached from modern societal norms. He worked for cash, with no bank records or electoral roll presence, absent from social media or smartphone use, leaving no digital footprint. He embodied a lifestyle often deemed impossible today. Greenhalgh noted, “There are individuals off the grid in major urban areas, living transient lives, potentially homeless. This complicates investigations.”

Couzens’ Obsession and Piecing Together the Puzzle

Couzens’ initial interest grew into a committed focus. Displaying Wallace’s photos at home, the team meticulously examined the canal boat image. Enlarging it revealed a serial number, tracing it to the boat owner, who had encountered Wallace at the William the Fourth, a pub near Wallace’s residence. Inquiries among pub regulars confirmed he was a somewhat frequent patron, though recollections were vague. The local community’s knowledge proved limited. Couzens stated, “They knew as much as we did…we were truly searching for his family, about whom we knew nothing.”

The UK Missing Persons Crisis: A Statistical Overview

The UK’s missing persons crisis is well-documented. Annually, over 170,000 individuals are reported missing nationwide, approximately one every 90 seconds. Missing People, a charity, suggests these figures likely underestimate the true scale, as many disappearances go unrecorded. Known cases are typically categorized, including children running from care, elderly dementia patients wandering from care facilities or hospitals. Mental health issues, diagnosed or undiagnosed, are implicated in 80% of adult missing incidents. Unidentified bodies constitute a distinct category.

Section 46 Funerals: Dignity in Unclaimed Deaths

Locate International is among several organizations striving to provide dignity for the unidentified deceased. Local councils across the UK conduct hundreds of funerals annually for individuals who die without known relatives or identification—Section 46 funerals. These public funerals increased by 23% between 2018 and 2023, with Enfield experiencing over a 200% surge in the same timeframe. While resources permit, some councils exhaustively attempt to locate next of kin, driven by both ethical and pragmatic motives. Family might assume funeral costs, relieving the financial burden on the council.

Breakthrough in the Brian Wallace Case: An Unexpected Lead

Late in 2022, appeals in northeast London and Sheffield media initially proved fruitless. However, Couzens acknowledges a significant element of chance in subsequent events. Early in 2024, following renewed media appeals, the charity received a crucial message.

Detective Nik Dodsworth and the DNA Revelation

Nik Dodsworth, a Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector for South Yorkshire Police, contacted Locate International after reading about Brian Wallace in the Sheffield Star. Moved to assist, Dodsworth offered his services. The Metropolitan Police provided Dodsworth with case files, revealing a crucial partial DNA match for “Brian Wallace.” Consulting the Police National Computer database, Dodsworth uncovered another name: Bryan Alwyn Woolis.

Tracing Bryan Woolis and Family Confirmation

An internet search led to an obituary for Alwyn Woolis, who died in Ripley, Derbyshire, in early 2016, aged 93, survived by three children, including Bryan. Dodsworth’s inquiries located Bryan Woolis’s relatives, who corroborated some known details. Bryan had relocated to London in the early 2000s, and his sister had resided in north London. Despite periods of distant contact, the siblings weren’t close. Bryan, remembered as sociable and well-liked in his youth, was also prone to isolation and low spirits, enjoying pub camaraderie. Rumors of Bryan’s death had reached them, explaining an aside in Alwyn’s obituary. Despite their estrangement, confirming Bryan’s death was still painful.

Unanswered Questions and Systemic Issues

Bryan Woolis was never truly missing, as his body was found after being struck by a negligent driver near his home. The search wasn’t active; estrangement isn’t unusual. Despite resolution, questions persist. A decade-long mystery solved by a charity and a chance encounter by a police officer. Dodsworth’s effective investigation wasn’t complex; the partial DNA match had been in the case file for years. The Met’s failure to investigate earlier remains puzzling.

Systemic Failures in Missing Persons Cases

Professor Karen Shalev, founder of the Missing Persons Research Group at the University of Portsmouth, finds such communication breakdowns regrettably common. She emphasized that problems are systemic, not isolated to specific police forces. “Missing has lacked government priority for decades.” Despite the National Crime Agency database’s appearance of a unified national approach, no comprehensive missing persons framework exists. Shalev notes, “People question police force communication, but a system for this simply doesn’t exist.” With such a system, Bryan Woolis’s case likely wouldn’t have remained unsolved for so long.

Remembering Bryan Woolis

Last November, on a cloudy weekday, I visited Manor Park, in northeast London’s unassuming suburbs alongside Roland Hughes, Locate International’s press head. Dark clouds gathered as we walked from the station to the local cemetery and crematorium, Bryan Woolis’s burial site in a common grave with three others.

A Solemn Reflection on Unaccompanied Funerals

My Manor Park visit recalled a West Norwood Cemetery visit in 2019, where I was the sole mourner for a man who died alone in his Lambeth flat. Amidst comforting words from celebrants, rain fell steadily. I wondered about Bryan Woolis’s funeral service.

The William the Fourth Pub: A Changed Landscape, Lingering Memories

After the cemetery, Hughes and I took a train to Leyton. The William the Fourth pub, renovated since Bryan Woolis’s time, still retained a spacious, Victorian ambiance. During our quiet visit, only an elderly patron silently drank ale while chatting minimally with the bartender.

Closure and Lasting Impact

Freya Couzens will never forget receiving news of the case resolution. On a summer day last year, leaving work for drinks with a friend, an email notification appeared: “The Brian Wallace case solved.” “I felt a connection to this person. I cried. We toasted Bryan. It felt like a significant conclusion.” Despite remaining uncertainties, they had restored Woolis’s identity – a partial success. Closure, frequently discussed regarding the missing, takes varied forms. At Manor Park cemetery, Brian Wallace’s name remained on the headstone, something Locate International aims to rectify.