The crumpled and contorted body of the man was found on the side walk of Portman Avenue in West London, near a convenience store on September 9, 2012. Until this day, it is still a mystery.
Detectives believed at first the man was a murder victim and barricaded the area. Within a day, however, police concluded the man — probably already dead — had fallen to the ground when a jet passing overhead lowered its landing gear as it neared the runway at nearby Heathrow Airport.
The stowaway had no identification papers other than some currency from Angola, leading police to assume that he was from that African nation, especially as inquiries showed that a plane from Angola was beginning its descent into Heathrow at about that time.
The cadaverous explanation made perfect sense to residents, who are familiar not only with the roar of the jets descending, but are also able to see the planes lower their landing gears as they pass overhead, said Catherine Lambert, who lives a few doors down from the spot where the man landed.
“You could see him, his body was contorted,” she said. “It was a beautiful blue day, really sunny, but we had to keep the children inside. I didn’t want the children to see, and to have to explain to them and put fear into them every time a plane goes over.”
A post mortem conducted two days after the body landed listed the cause of death as “multiple injuries.”
In the days afterward, some neighbors put flowers on the spot where the stowaway was found, and a small group of Angolans who live in the London area came to place more flowers and to pray.
The question is – How will his family ever know? His family members are probably waiting for him to make contact.
London police are appealing to the public for help identifying the man based on a composite image of his face and a photo of a tattoo on his left arm. The tattoo showed the letters “Z” and “G” inked on his upper arm, with a horizontal line through the “Z”.
Police also said attempts to identify the man with the help of Angolan authorities had been unsuccessful.
In a statement, police said the man is believed to be an African of slight build between the ages of 20 and 30. He was wearing jeans, white sneakers and a gray sweatshirt when he was found on Sept. 9, police added.
Meanwhile, the body is being held for possible repatriation in case the man’s identity is established.
