How the mysterious murder of ‘Fred the Head’ still baffles police, 53 years after skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave
A BOUND skeleton wearing just a pair of socks remains at the center of a murder mystery that has haunted police for 53 years.
On March 27, 1971, an off-duty officer was walking in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, when he noticed a skull fragment.
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The grisly discovery led to the victim becoming known as “Fred the head” – although his true identity remains unknown.
There’s not much else to see either – except that Fred’s wrists and ankles were tied behind his back and he was dumped into a kneeling position.
The location was also tricky because Fred had been crudely buried in a shallow grave near the River Trent, in an area accessible only through a locked gate or a long walk down a narrow alley.
Chillingly, Fred was naked when his body was left in the awkward spot – except for a few pink socks.
He was described as someone who took care of himself and wore a gold lady’s wedding ring.
Police believed he had been left in the mound soil about six to twelve months before he was actually discovered.
As a result, his time of death was in 1970, but to a limited extent technology at that point and a lack of vital information, the case went cold.
Fred’s chilling case remains Staffordshire Police’s oldest unsolved murder books.
In an attempt to get justice for Fred, officers performed facial reconstruction, but no one recognized him.
They also tried to find relatives through extraction DNA from his remains, but again, there was no joy.
In 2017, police thought they had made a breakthrough when a man got in touch after the baffling case was highlighted on Crimewatch.
His brother was missing Wales in 1970 – but Fred’s DNA didn’t match.
Another development occurred in April 2023, when amateur sleuths thought they had solved the riddle.
Ken Davies, who runs the Fred The Head podcast, told how he believed Fred was a man called John Gick, who disappeared in February 1969.
The 37-year-old had traveled from the Isle of Man to Liverpool for a scouting event but said his colleagues had an appointment.
John then visited friends in Wirral before he was attacked by a group of youths in a toilet.
His van was found abandoned at the Liverpool Landing Stage, but there has been no trace of John since.
Ken drew similarities between the two men – including John’s age at the time he disappeared, matching the age range of 23 and 39 that police gave to Fred.
He was also about the same height as Fred, 6 feet tall, and the dates of his disappearance and Fred’s death matched.
A Mystery Spanning More Than Half a Century: What We Know About ‘Fred the Head’
Details from the British Missing Persons Office about Fred, Case 06-024611:
Sex – Male
Age category – 24 – 36
Ethnicity – White European
Height – 172 cm (5 ft 7 in)
To build – Thin
Date found – March 26, 1971
Body or remains – Body
The body of a man was found in a shallow grave in a field off Newton Road, Burton. It is believed he was there for nine to 12 months. He has a partial upper denture and underwent extensive dental work less than six months before his death. His hands were small and had short, well-groomed nails.
Her – Brown – Straight – Short
eye colour – Unknown
Distinctive features – Oddity – Deformed neck. Had a neck condition (torticollis) that caused his head to lean to the right
Clothing – Socks – mustard colored heel and toe and the rest a pink-beige color.
Jewellery – One 9kt gold ladies wedding ring on the right finger, made in 1967/1968 by Henry Showell Ltd
Fred was found to have a neck condition known as torticollis, which would cause his head to droop to the right.
The podcaster believed John could have suffered from the same ailment after being attacked in a toilet.
At the time, police confirmed the information had been passed on to them, but Fred has still not been identified.
Now, 53 years after the horrorthe force has issued a new appeal for information as the hunt for his killer continues.
A spokesperson told The Sun Online: “The matter is subject to periodic reviews to determine whether new lines of inquiry can be pursued.”
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