Updated

British police will reveal more details Thursday about a headless man whose identity has remained a mystery since he was murdered 18 years ago.

His body was exhumed this week and officers hope scientific advances since his death in 1991 will help them identify him and his killer.

The man was found by a member of the public with his head and hands removed in a forest area in West Sussex.

Despite appeals for information, he went to his grave in 1994 with police clueless about his identity.

This week, Sussex detectives announced the case had been reviewed to try to discover whether technological advances made since the early 1990s could help provide a breakthrough.

The exhumation took place with the agreement of West Sussex Coroner Penelope Schofield and local church officials, and the cemetery was closed while it happened.

Speaking before the operation, Chief Inspector Andy Griffiths, leading the investigation, said the exhumation would be conducted in a respectful and sensitive manner.

"This case has been reviewed, as are all unsolved cases periodically, in an effort to establish if new techniques may be brought to bear," he said.

"Following discussions with senior scientists, I made a decision to apply to the relevant authorities for permission to exhume the body.

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