A body was found in a pub freezer. Two years on and police have no idea how it got there
Murder detectives are asking for the public’s help in solving a cold case after the corpse of a man was discovered in a derelict pub freezer nearly ten years after he vanished.
Roy Bigg, who could only be identified through dental records, was around 70 when he disappeared in February 2012, police believe.
His body was found “wrapped in cling film” at about 3pm on October 15 2021 after enforcement officers evicted around 30 squatters who had been living alongside the corpse hidden in the rubbish-strewn basement of Simpson’s Wine Bar in Newham, London.
Now Scotland Yard is offering the public a reward of up to £20,000 for intelligence leading to the arrest, charge and prosecution of those responsible for the murder.
Workers were clearing out the building, which was full of rubbish and contained around 30 bicycles, when they tried to shift a large freezer in the basement, John Ingram, from Ingram Associates told The Independent at the time.
After struggling to move it, they opened the freezer up to find a body inside wrapped in cling film, he said.
“Our guys were there clearing the place, and they went down into the basement and saw an old freezer down there”, he added.
“It was a bit too heavy to move and they looked inside to see what was there, and of course there was a body there. It’s like something out of a horror movie.
“The body was in a freezer in the basement and was wrapped in cling film. Needless to say, we were all completely shocked.”
Neighbours had reported around 20-30 squatters living in the boarded-up wine bar not knowing of the corpse lying undisturbed years in the white chest freezer.
In the time between the squatters being evicted and the body being discovered, someone broke in through the building’s skylight and moved furniture around as if searching for something, Mr Ingram said.
A post-mortem examination found the cause of his death to be inconclusive, the Met said.
DCI Kelly Allen, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “It’s now been more than two years since Roy was found. Although our investigation, and previous media appeals have provided us with information about Roy’s life, we still need your help to identify who is responsible.
“Roy went missing in February 2012. We believe that his body may have been in the freezer for a number of years, and that he was aged about 70 when he died.
“Where was he between 2012 and 2021? To date there have been no confirmed sightings of him in this nine year period. Can you help?
“Anything you can tell us may prove invaluable in helping us discover what happened.”
Anyone who knew Roy Bigg should call the Incident Room on 020 8345 1570, call 101 or post on ‘X’ @MetCC quoting reference CAD 4332/15Oct21.
To remain 100% anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
