A man who was killed in a car crash on the corner of Hoe Street and Forest Road nine years ago has still not been identified
By Marco Marcelline
A missing persons charity has renewed its quest to uncover the identity of a mystery man who died in Walthamstow nine years ago to the day.
On 22nd January 2015, the man, dubbed “Brian Wallace” by police, was struck and killed by a driver on the corner of Forest Road and Hoe Street near The Bell pub. He was carrying no ID on his person when he died, and the only numbers in his phone were related to his work as a builder.
Investigators have so far only been able to uncover a few details about his life; namely that he is believed to hail from near Sheffield, lived close to where he was killed, and was a regular at William the Fourth pub in High Road, Leyton.
Locate International, a cold-case charity that investigates missing and unidentified people, began their enquiries into his death just over a year ago. Since then, volunteer investigators have delved into over 400 leads but to no avail. This was despite hitting the streets, and conducting numerous door-to-door enquiries in Walthamstow and Leyton.
Now, in an effort to further expand their investigation, Locate is asking the public to submit details about individuals who they have lost contact with over the years, who may resemble “Brian Wallace”. Submissions can be made anonymously if preferred, online, via a QR code, or through the charity’s social media pages.
Locate’s CEO and founder, Dave Grimstead said: “The reality remains: we have no news, no progress, and no resolution. What sets this case apart is not just the tragic circumstances surrounding his death, but the extraordinary efforts of our volunteers.”
Dave added: “The fact that we possess photographs of the man and potential first and second names makes this investigation unlike any other in our history, but we now need to look beyond these names. As we mark nine years since his death, we want to reiterate that he has not been forgotten, but we do need to look more broadly.”
Locate are specifically urging people across the North of England to submit names and details of men born between 1945 and 1955 who may have become unaccounted for, or estranged from their families, those who may have relocated from the North to London, men who match the description of ‘Brian Wallace’ and men with a possible background in the building trade.
Find out more about the campaign and get involved here. If you think you know who Brian is, please reach out by emailing [email protected], or calling 0300 102 1011
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
