Margate Man
In late September 1996, a young man checked into a guesthouse on the Kent coast. A few days later, he was found dead there, and despite extensive investigations in the almost three decades since, he has never been identified.
Living Depiction by Hew Morrison©
He checked into the Jolly Roger guesthouse on Gordon Road, in Cliftonville, Margate, on 24 September 1996.
What we know:
The owner of the guesthouse reported that the man, who was of apparent Asian origin, arrived with no luggage, only a carrier bag. He was wearing white jeans, a black sweatshirt, and a blue denim jacket. He was believed to have been in his late 20s, 5’8” (173cm) in height, and weighed about 11 stone (70kg). He had a scar on one eyelid.
He gave his name as only ‘Mr Kirasawara’. He is said to have 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, and so he visited the local KFC instead.
He was found dead in the bed in his room by the guesthouse owner on 27 September 1996, three days after he checked in. A coroner later recorded a verdict of suicide.
We believe the name Kirasawara may have been misspelt, and could have been Kirasawa, or another variation. However, these are not common Japanese surnames.
Our investigation
Research we have carried out suggests that the surname originates from Southern Japan, and that ‘Kira’ indicates an owner of land and ‘Sawa’ roughly translates to wet area/marsh. This may indicate what his familial or ancestorial background was.
A dentist also gave evidence at the inquest that he may have been wealthy as he had received expensive cosmetic dental work. A news report on the inquest said of the dental work: “It was of a very high standard and anyone who knew the man would have recognised his broad, toothy grin.”
Questions you can ask yourself
We believe someone out there will be able to help us reunite this man with his name.
You truly may be able to help - please consider these questions:
Are you a dentist and do you remember carrying out this treatment on someone who matches this description?
Does the name or any spelling variation mean anything to you?
Were you in the Margate or Kent area in September 1996?
Did you work with this man, or see him in passing in the local area?
Does he remind you of anyone you once knew or someone you have lost touch with?
Do you have any ideas, suggestions, or connections that may help our team advance their investigation?
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