Joseph Callaghan

Joseph Callaghan was found dead in the Serpentine at Hyde Park.

It was thought that he might have been dumped in from a bridge and that he might have already been dead at the time.

He was an American airman and it was not known what he had done between 3 January 1958 when she should have reported back to camp at Newbury after a short leave and Tuesday 17 February 1958 when he was found in the Serpentine.

It was reported on Friday 21 February 1958 that the police were searching the West End for his girlfriend who they said they thought might be able to help determine what he had done in the missing time.

It was noted that when he was found his trousers, containing all his identification papers were missing. He was identified on 20 February 1958 by a laundry mark on his clothing.

The police said that they thought that his trousers had been removed before he entered the water.

It was said that when Joseph Callaghan had left camp he had said that he was going to London to visit his girlfriend and that when he failed to return from leave that the security men at the camp had not been unduly worried because Joseph Callaghan had had an impeccable character and they thought that he might have been delayed and would return with a satisfactory explanation.

However, after he failed to return after three days it was thought that something must have happened to him and his details were circulated as a possible deserter. However, nothing more was heard of him until he was found dead in the Serpentine.

It was not known how he died. An inquest was due to be held by the Westminster Coroner but it was cancelled after it was discovered that he was an American citizen.

The police said that they thought that there was no question of suicide as Joseph Callaghan had been a first-class airman and seemed to have no worries.

A doctor originally decided that his death was due to drowning. There were no marks of violence on his body except for bruises on his legs which were said might have been caused if he fell forward following an attack from behind.

It was heard that the spot where his body was found was over 20 yards from the bank of the Serpentine and that boatmen had told the police that it was likely that Joseph Callaghan's body had entered the water from a bridge a few yards away. It was noted that at that spot the water was between 8ft and 10ft deep and that it was about 30 yards from the bank. It was further noted that because the water deepened very gradually experts thought that it was almost impossible for a man to commit suicide by wading out from the bank.

It was also said that no case of suicide in the Serpentine had ever before been reported.