Detectives believe they may be closer to solving the mystery of how Neil Thompson was found dead on a school field, after his e-bike ended up in a canal. The 45-year-old's body was discovered at Smestow Academy in Wolverhampton on January 19 by an 11-year-old girl as she prepared for a PE lesson.
New evidence from the canal
Police initially launched a homicide probe, but officers now believe Neil may have suffered fatal injuries when he crashed his e-bike. The water-damaged bike was later hauled from a canal and left propped against a bridge.
On what would have been Neil's 46th birthday, West Midlands Police released pictures of the rust-covered e-bike and appealed for the person who pulled it from the water to come forward.
Family's appeal for answers
Detective Sergeant Amie Petford said: "His family are now asking that the person who got the bike out of the water to get 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."
Timeline of events
Police believe Neil left home on his electric 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.
An inquest heard the dad died from aspiration of blood caused by traumatic facial injuries and a serious head injury. 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.
Tributes and impact
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."
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."
