Age: 50s
Sex: male
Date: 1 Apr 2019
Place: Cockett Wick Lane, St Osyth, Essex
William Long was found dead at a scrap yard in April 2019.
His family last heard from him in late 1996 although it was thought that he was last seen alive between March 1999 and March 2000.
His remains were found at a former scrapyard in Cockett Wick Lane, St Osyth in 2019 but they were not identified as his until July 2022. They were found by a site worker.
His family said that they lost contact with him in 1996 after William Long's father died and that they thought that he had moved abroad to Australia. William Long had had a girlfriend at the time and she had just moved to Australia around then.
The police said that they were treating his death as murder, although added that they had an open mind.
Along with his remains were a pair of cowboy boots that he had been wearing when he was killed.
William Long had been from the Tendring area. His relatives described him as vulnerable and an easy target.
The police appealed for anyone that knew him around the time he was last seen or had any information to come forward.
