Mystery over man who died in Kent guesthouse 28 years ago as new image released

The new living depiction of the man, produced by a forensic artist, has been released in a bid to identify 'Margate Man'
-Credit: (Image: Locate International)


In late September 1996, a young man booked into a guesthouse on the Kent coast. A few days later, he was found dead there, and despite extensive investigations in the nearly three decades since, he has never been identified.

Volunteer investigators with the charity Locate International, which delves into cold cases of missing and unidentified people, have been conducting their own inquiries into the case of the man known only as Margate Man.

Now, 28 years to the day since his body was discovered, they are releasing a new living depiction of the man, created by forensic artist Hew Morrison, in the hopes of identifying him.

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The man checked into the Jolly Roger guesthouse on Gordon Road, in Cliftonville, Margate, on September 24 1996. The owner of the guesthouse reported that the man, who appeared to be of Asian origin, arrived with no luggage, only a carrier bag.

He was dressed in white jeans, a black sweatshirt, and a blue denim jacket. He was believed to have been in his late 20s, 5'8" (173cm) tall, and weighed about 11 stone (70kg). He had a scar on one eyelid.The visitor gave his name as 'Mr Kirasawara'.

He reportedly told the owner of the guesthouse that he was Japanese and asked if there were any Japanese restaurants in the area. There were none at the time, so he visited the local KFC instead.

He was found dead in his room by the guesthouse owner on September 27 1996. Three days after his check-in, a coroner recorded a verdict of suicide due to an overdose of red antidepressant pills.

Locate International investigators suggest that the name Kirasawara may have been misspelt and could be Kirasawa or another variation like Kurosawa.

Our research indicates that this surname originates from Southern Japan, with 'Kira' signifying a landowner or 'shining' or 'radiant', while 'Sawa' roughly translates to a wet area or marsh. This could hint at his familial or ancestral background. Does this name ring any bells?

Evidence presented at the inquest by a dentist suggested he might have been wealthy as he had undergone expensive cosmetic dental work. A news report on the inquest noted about the dental work: "It was of a very high standard and anyone who knew the man would have recognised his broad, toothy grin.

"Mark Greenhalgh, CEO of Locate International, said: "All the evidence suggests he was a visitor to Margate, so we would like to hear from anyone who may have encountered him while he was in the town, no matter how small the interaction.

"It's possible he may have been visiting from abroad or from somewhere else in the UK, so maybe you remember a friend, colleague, neighbour, tenant or fellow guest who matches his description who you never saw again.

"No piece of information is too small: it can help confirm something we believe, or can send"our investigation in a whole new direction."

If you have any information, please contact Locate International by emailing appeals@locate. international, by calling 0300 102 1011 (in the UK) or by visiting https://locate.international/unidentified-people/margate-man

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