Mystery remains over teenage boy found dead after falling from PLANE & being run over by train as cops search for family
A TEENAGE boy who was found dead after falling from a plane has left cops baffled as they try and trace his family.
The boy's body was found on the railway tracks in Richmond upon Thames on December 14, 2020 after he fell from a flight to Heathrow.
But he has still not been identified despite dying over two years ago.
The young victim, found in between Mortlake and North Sheen stations, is believed to be aged between 15 and 18.
He had suffered “major injuries” to his head, neck, chest and torso which were consistent with both “contact with a moving train and a fall from height such as an overflying aircraft”.
Authorities have been left baffled having not been able to work out who the teenager is after all this time.
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Despite investigating since 2020, cops have still not been able to make contact with the boy's family, a court heard.
An inquest at West London Coroners Court heard that this was despite “sterling efforts” from both the British Transport Police and the National Crime Agency.
The BTP were alerted to a casualty on the line shortly after 10am and attended with paramedics but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
There was no documentation or form of identification on the body, no visible features such as tattoos or scars.
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To add to the mystery, he was missing both his shoes and socks.
And the teen was reported to have been wearing a green polo shirt with the text reading ‘Sulid Supra Used High Quality Motorcycle Parts'.
This was traced to a motorbike shop in Nigeria, although the owners confirmed that they were unable to identify any missing employees.
He remains unidentified despite Nigerian authorities circulating a facial depiction of the victim.
A post-mortem examination found no signs of natural diseases with dental ageing suggesting he was in his late teenage years.
There was no evidence of a third party assault with the forensic pathologist Dr Robert Charles Chapman stating: “In my opinion, it is probable he died prior to impact on the railway track”.
His cause of death was given as hypothermia and hypoxia at altitude.
This is a common condition amongst individuals who stow themselves away on aircraft.
Detectives from the BTP launched an investigation and checked CCTV on the front and rear of trains, which showed the body being visible by the side of the tracks at 8.07am.
Investigators theorised that he may have fallen from a flight from Lagos that arrived in Heathrow six hours prior to the discovery of his body.
CCTV footage had been overwritten but an examination of the aircraft found boot marks in the wheel well.
Giving the cause of his death as misadventure, Acting Senior Coroner Lydia Brown said: “I’m very conscious that somewhere out there this young man has a family who are wondering about him.
"Sadly, the contact has not been made for me to share what i know about this young man.”
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“He took steps to access this aircraft in a short period of time and lost his life during his endeavours to reach the UK,” she said.
“Whatever he was trying to achieve went disastrously wrong and ended with the loss of his life rather than any other opportunities.”