21630-45 - Detective Inspector Paul JenningsTHE detective trying to identify the man found dead in Moredon is hoping for a of a result by the weekend.

Det Insp Paul Jennings said that he has had a good response from the public after an appeal for help in discovering who the man is.

He hopes that DNA profiling by police forensic scientists in Chepstow and dental records will provide an answer.

Police think the man, who was found by two seven-year-old boys in woodland off Akers Way on Sunday, was homeless. He was found lying face down under a hedge wearing only a blue fleece, but a sleeping bag and other assorted clothes were found nearby. The body could have been lying there for up to six weeks.

Det Insp Jennings said: "The body was in such a state that there was no way we could identify him other than through DNA or dental records. We should have a profile back by the end of the weekend then be able to identify him."

The man is white, aged between his late teens and late 30s, 5ft 3ins with dark brown curly hair and a goatee beard. He also has size seven or eight feet.

Police are not looking for anyone in connection with the death and say that suicide has not been ruled out. One possibility is that the man could have suffered hypothermia.

Earlier this week Home Office pathologist, Dr Hew White, conducted an inconclusive post-mortem examination.