By Alexander Darling and Cassandra Morgan
A unique wedding ring worn by a man whose badly decomposed body was discovered in a river by two teenagers could be the key to unlocking his 53-year-old cold case.
The two teenage girls had just finished lunch on Christmas Day in 1971 and were swimming in the Steavenson River in the tiny Victorian town of Buxton, about 100 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, when they came across the gruesome sight of a man’s body in the water about 4.30pm.
The man, who was believed to be aged between 30 and 60, was of a large build and about 183 centimetres tall with dark, greying hair.
He wore a distinctive black signet wedding band on his left ring finger, which was inscribed with “21.4.71 P.U.C.K”, and was likely in the river for a few weeks before he was found.
His body was so badly decomposed, it was impossible to determine whether he sustained any physical injuries before his death, Victoria Police said, launching a fresh appeal for information on Monday.
A coroner in August 1972 determined the man drowned. However, detectives were keeping an open mind, Detective Sergeant Flyn Loughlin said.
A sketch of the ring the man was wearing at the time, from the police case file.Credit: Victoria Police
“There is no evidence of foul play that’s been established at this point in time,” Loughlin told reporters.
Collaboration with interstate police and dental analysis of the man’s teeth yielded no breakthroughs.
However, a dentist who assisted with the man’s autopsy thought he could have been a “continental migrant” from Eastern Europe, and police were looking at a Ukrainian youth camp four kilometres upstream on the same river.
Detectives said the inscription on the ring could have actually been “Р.И.С.К“, which comes from the Cyrillic alphabet – used in Eastern Europe – and means “risk” in English.
The car belonging to Alfred “The Ferret” Nelson after it was found submerged in water. Nelson went missing in 1971.Credit: The Age Archive
The youth camp and the Ukrainian embassy both turned up “dead ends” rather than leads, Loughlin said.
“They’re not missing anyone associated with that camp and the Ukrainian embassy hasn’t been able to shed any light,” he said.
“I don’t know if it’s linked. It may or may not be.
“I would hope that if I had my wedding date on my ring, my wife would come forward. But it might be the case that this person’s wife is deceased and there is no other relatives or siblings.”
Detective Sergeant Flyn Loughlin stands in front of the Steavenson River on Monday.Credit: Nine News
Police believed the dead man was a smoker and drinker.
At one stage, it was believed the man was Alfred “The Ferret” Nelson, a unionist who disappeared earlier in 1971, but this theory was eventually ruled out due to the two men having different body features.
Police said the man was eventually buried in a Melbourne cemetery, where he remains unidentified.
He was dressed in blue jeans, a white shirt, a vest with square white buttons, desert-style boots and a gold watch. The man was also wearing a large, thick belt around his stomach, which appeared to have been used to support his stomach muscles.
Buxton Recreation Reserve. The Steavenson River runs through the area.
For the latest appeal, police have released an image of the ring from the original case file.
“We are confident that there is someone out there who knows something that can help determine who this man was,” Loughlin said.
“Even the slightest bit of information could be the missing link we need to finally be able to provide some closure in this matter.”
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers.
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