Age: 46
Sex: male
Date: 18 Jul 2017
Place: Hand Inn, Holt Road, Wrexham
Karl Wayne Humphries was found dead behind the Hand Inn public house on Holt Road, Wrexham, on 18 July 2017.
His cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition but it was said that there were clear signs of trauma. The pathologist said, 'The body demonstrated advanced decomposition. There are obvious signs of trauma but a lot of tissue from the body is missing. There are no clues as to any underlying diseases', adding, 'There is insufficient evidence to establish a cause of death'.
Karl Humphries had been homeless at the time.
His body was found by the pub landlord amongst furniture and hidden beneath a tarpaulin in the back yard. Karl Humphries had been lying in the foetal position and had been surrounded by cans of Omega and Frosty Jack cider.
It was thought that his body had been there for a number of weeks.
Although his body was decomposed the police found a wallet on him which contained bank cards with his name on them and he was later identified through dental records at the Liverpool Royal Hospital.
Karl Humphries had previously lived with a woman who he had a child with in Holt Road but had separated from her some years earlier and had gone to live in Ellesmere Port and then Warrington but had moved back to the area in March 2017 at which time he had lived in Llay.
His daughter said that he had previously worked as a porter at Carden Park Hotel near Broxton.
She also said that he had had health problems including diabetes and angina and that he had previously had heart attacks and was alcohol dependent. She said that when he moved back to the area she was shocked to see how rough he looked and how much weight he had lost.
She said that after he returned to the area that he often called into the shop where she worked in Holt Road but that after a while he stopped doing so.
After hearing the evidence the Coroner returned an open verdict stating that Karl Humphries's cause of death was unascertained but that although his body was found on 18 July 2017, that it was likely he had died some weeks earlier.
