The remains of a Swansea man who had been missing for over 20 years were accidentally discovered by a resident cutting back brambles in their garden, an inquest opening has heard.
Discovery of Remains
Russell Scozzi, last seen at Swansea's Quadrant bus station, disappeared in May 2002. In March 2003, South Wales Police set up a missing person's file. On Wednesday, an inquest opening at Swansea's Guildhall heard that his case had been routinely reviewed over the years, but officers could not find him. His age was given as 64 at the brief hearing.
The inquest heard that on April 6, 2023, a resident of Waverley Place in Mumbles was cutting back overgrown brambles and weeds when they discovered skeletal remains in a wooded area next to their house. Blue sheeting and clothing were also found. The resident contacted police, and officers attended along with CID and a forensic archaeologist. Several searches were conducted to ensure all bones were recovered.
Identification and Cause of Death
Mr Scozzi was later identified by his dental records. A post-mortem examination gave a medical cause of death as unascertained. Senior coroner Aled Gruffydd adjourned the inquest until July 23.
The year before his disappearance, Mr Scozzi had given up a well-paid IT job with a multi-national company without explanation. He lived in the West Cross area of Swansea and had traveled extensively to places like Bali and Australia, speaking fluent German and French. However, when he disappeared, he left his passport and wallet behind, which his sister Daniella Scozzi described as very unusual.
Family's Experience
Ms Scozzi said the family was most concerned that Mr Scozzi had made no attempts to contact his children, which was completely out of character. She had presumed him dead seven years after he vanished. She told WalesOnline before the discovery: "It's a really weird situation. I almost feel like I'm talking about somebody else, like a character from a book. It's the only way I can deal with it because once I start thinking about it, you get so many different feelings of guilt, fear, sadness - there's so many different emotions and none of them are good."
She added: "A year ago I was walking around and a man walked past me and I thought: 'He looks familiar.' I walked around and I bumped into him again, and it suddenly hit me that he looked exactly like my brother and for a minute I thought it was him. This was like 19 years later. I say I do not look for him, but I think subconsciously I do. But the way I deal with it is I talk about it as if it's not really my brother."
