The family of Neil Thompson, known as Chuck, have issued a fresh appeal for the person who pulled his e-bike from a canal to come forward, so they can have a place to grieve and remember him. The appeal comes on what would have been his 46th birthday.
The body of the 45-year-old was discovered on the playing fields of Smestow Academy in Wolverhampton on January 19 by an 11-year-old girl as she prepared for a PE lesson. The water-damaged e-bike was later removed from Smestow Canal and left propped against a bridge.
Police release image of rust-covered bike
West Midlands Police released pictures of the rust-covered e-bike. Detective sergeant Amie Petford, speaking on behalf of Neil's relatives, said: “His family are now asking the person who got the bike out of the water gets in touch so that they can have a place where they can go to grieve.
“The bike was rusty and appeared that someone had pulled it out of the canal and left it by a bridge at a lock so it is likely it would have been near there, but his family are hoping to know exactly where so they can lay flowers.”
Tribute to a loved father and friend
Following his death, Neil's family paid tribute, saying: "Our beautiful son, brother, father and friend Chuck, very much loved in the community of fishing, his one true love. His love for life and funny stories touched the lives of so many people."
An inquest heard that he died from aspiration of blood caused by traumatic facial injuries and a serious head injury. Officers now believe he may have suffered these injuries when he crashed his e-bike.
Timeline of final hours
Police believe Neil left home on his bike at around 8.17pm on January 18 to visit a friend. He set off for home at around 1am the following morning, with CCTV capturing him riding along a canal towpath at 1.26am.
A dog walker later photographed him in the grounds of Smestow Academy at around 7.15am after spotting him while walking through Smestow Valley Nature Reserve. Police believe Neil was still alive at that point, but what happened in the hours between remains a mystery.
A post-mortem examination found significant injuries to the left side of his face, evidence of a traumatic brain injury and a fracture around the left eye socket. Consultant pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer said the injuries were consistent with blunt-force trauma and suggested Neil could have suffered them in a heavy fall, but could also have been assaulted. However, police now believe he died as a result of injuries suffered when his e-bike crashed into the canal.
The father of the 11-year-old girl who discovered Neil's body previously revealed how the youngster was left "really shaken up" by the ordeal. He said: "My daughter phoned her mum up, screaming, and told her that she found a dead body by the goal posts on the field. She's only 11 years of age. They went out for PE and it was very foggy. It's terrible what she's had to see."
