Investigative Ideas - Episode 3 - Dave The Busker

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On 17th April 2002, a property developer was clearing the garden of a house at 158 Upper Salthill, Galway in Ireland when he found a human skull. Gardaí subsequently found skeletal remains in a shallow grave nearby. They were wrapped in a blue sleeping bag tied with blue nylon twine, including clothing, jewellery, boots and hair ties.

Read the full case details here: https://locate.international/unidentified-people/dave-the-busker

To discuss the case directly with our investigators, you can post on this discussion thread, or even start your own to cover a specific topic.

team3-locateinternational

I lead the investigative team working on this case. We'd love to hear your ideas on this case and things that we may not have considered!

LiziAngel

team3-locateinternational Hi, I think I have found Dave's birth register entry on Ancestry. It has been mis-transcribed as Davis S Rawson, but the mother's maiden name fits with a sister called Julia. So here's what I found:

David S Rawson – birth registered April 1955 at Southwark. Entry has been mis-transcribed as Davis S Rawson.
Sister – Julia Rawson birth registered January 1957 at Southwark.
Mother of both siblings – Isobel H Bissett.
Father – Two possibilities: Geoffrey S Rawson who married Isobel N Bisset in 1953 at Exmoor (if Isobel H Bisset has been mis-transcribed as Isobel N Bisset) or Michael: 'Michael of Dominica' is listed on Dave Rawson's engagement notification (see below). I haven't been able to locate a marriage register entry for Isobel Bisset and Michael Rawson, but she was Rawson when she married Dave and Julia's stepfather.
Stepfather – Dr John Malcolm Edwin Foster Dunn (23/10/30 to 2003). Married Isobel H Rawson on 05/07/69 at Yeovil.
Wife – Karen J L Harrison engaged 07/07/83. Married March 1984 at London City. Mother’s maiden name Denstorff. Father’s info: 'Alexander of Twickenham'. Father-in-law’s info: 'Michael of Dominica'.
Daughter – Harriet Louise Rawson birth registered December 1988 at Wandsworth. Harriet would have been 14 in 2002.

I have contact details and a photo for Harriet Rawson. With regards to Dave Rawson's father being 'Michael of Dominica', I haven't been able to locate a birth register entry for a Michael Rawson. However, interestingly/coincidentally, there is a link with Dominica on Harriet Rawson's Facebook profile.

I did send this information via the 'submit information' form on the website last week, but as I hit send, my internet connection dropped out and so I'm not sure that it actually went.

Kath89

I just thought listening to this I wonder if it's worth going through old newsletters and pupils of the main london music schools. It's such a long shot though and so many possible years to cover.

team3-locateinternational

Kath89 Thank you so much for your thoughts. This is a line of enquiry we have been working on, so hopefully we can gain some new information.

Kath89

Royal college of music etc

Rllowe

Was there any DNA or hair in the hair ties. I know “daves” dna might not be on a database but they can search familial dna now i think?

angela-locateinternational

Rllowe The use of DNA combined with IGG (Investigative Genetic Genealogy) is becoming widely used in USA and Canada for their unidentified cases, but this approach to solving cases is not permitted in UK or Ireland at present. DNA samples taken from unidentified people are submitted to police databases to see if there is a match, but familial tracing in this way is not allowed. If the police or Locate find a plausible match for an unidentified person then a close relative would be asked to give a DNA sample for elimination purposes. This would depend entirely on their consent and only after a compelling case had been made as to the possibility of a match.

team3-locateinternational

LiziAngel Thank you so much for all the work you have done here. We did receive it, and just want to reassure you that we are now working on this line of enquiry. Many thanks once again.