MYSTERY surrounds the death of a man whose body was found in woods near a popular caravan park.

The man is thought to be in his early 20s, but officers say he could be anything from 18 to 30. He was carrying no form of identification and checks of the region's missing persons lists have drawn a blank.

The man was discovered by a passer-by shortly before 3.30pm on Monday. He was lying near a footpath in a field about 500 metres from the Finchale caravan park, which is near Finchale Priory, Durham.

The body was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City.

A post mortem examination proved inconclusive.

Det Chief Insp Paul Harker said: "At this stage we are none the wiser as to who this man is or where he has come from. It is believed he had been dead for hours rather than days. There is nothing so far to suggest he has been the victim of foul play, but until we have a cause of death we must keep an open mind. If anyone thinks they know this man's identity I would ask them to contact us as soon as possible."

The dead man is white, 6ft 1in tall and very thin. His head was shaven. He was wearing a navy blue polo shirt, black trousers and black Nike trainers. Anyone who can help, should call 0845-60-60-365 and ask for CID at Durham or Chester-le-Street.

6:04pm Friday 9th May 2008

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