THE post-mortem on a Swindon man whose body was exhumed has not provided any clues into his death.

Stephen Smith, a 44-year-old electrical engineer from Haydon Wick died suddenly at home last June.

At first he was thought to have died from natural causes.

But after he was buried fresh information came to light and a police investigation was launched.

The nature of the information has never been released by police.

Yesterday the police announced that the post-mortem had proved inconclusive about the cause of his death.

His body was exhumed last October from his grave at Mayshill Cemetery in Nibley, near Yate, South Gloucestershire, last October.

But the results of the second post-mortem into his death were inconclusive. An inquest will now be held to establish the cause of Mr Smith's death.

Mr Smith was married to Sybille and had three children Andrew, Stephy and Jenny.

In a death notice in the Advertiser he was described by his family as a "caring husband" and a "devoted father" who would "never be forgotten by all his nieces, nephews and friends."

Mr Smith's family were at his graveside when his body was exhumed and a service was held as the coffin emerged from the ground.

The exhumation took place under the cover of a police guarded tent set up over the grave.

Afterwards Mr Smith's body was taken in a hearse guarded by police motorcade, to undergo a second post-mortem at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

No inquest had been deemed necessary at the time of Mr Smith's death but Det Insp James Vaughan of Wiltshire police later explained the "previously unknown information was received" creating the need for an exhumation.

An eight-man team of police officers carried out an investigation during August and September until a decision was made to carry out the exhumation.

Det Con Vaughan explained that all lines of inquiry were being reopened and added: "Had the pathologist known the information we know now there may have been a different conclusion."

Diana Milne