Court rules on death of 'unidentifiable body'

Wednesday 04 December 2019

The identity of a man found weeks after he had passed away in his flat has been confirmed by Guernsey's Court during the course of an inquest.

82-year-old Edward Rolfe was living in Guernsey on his own, and did not have any family, or many friends.

The last time he was heard from was when a friend spoke to him on the telephone around 1 September, 2019. But weeks later, on 25 September, he was found dead by his landlord when his property was being inspected. 

Because of the amount of time that had passed between Mr Rolfe passing away and when he was found, Guernsey Police have had trouble formally identifying him. In fact, they could not be sure the body was Mr Rolfe, even after they passed a model of his teeth around every dentist on the island to try and find a match. 

Working on the basis the body was Mr Rolfe, Police established he had had one brother, who has now passed away, but he also had a niece. Efforts have been made to contact that niece as she may be the only way to confirm Mr Rofle's identity through DNA. 

Empty alcohol bottles and a diary note for a doctors appointment were found in Mr Rolfe's apartment. That appointment was never attended.

Pictured: Guernsey's courts had to determine Mr Rolfe's identity as well as his cause of death. 

Concluding the inquest, Judge Graeme McKerrell said: "The identity of the deceased has not been formally established, I say that because I am told that apart from one lady, Mr Rolfe was essentially friendless. There is no sign that he had visitors and there is no sign of foul play, and while there is a small chance a DNA test might provide a positive result, all the indications are that Mr Rofle died where he was found in his flat. 

"The chances of the body being someone else seem to me to be so small that I can safely discount them. There is sufficient evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that this was Mr Rofle." 

In line with the post mortem, Judge McKerrell found the cause of death to be coronary artery atheroma, and returned a verdict of death through natural causes.