A former Scotland Yard detective has provided insight into how a police investigation into the discovery of a dead body will be carried out.
The body of 52-year-old Nigel Kedar was found off the A140 in Mendlesham, in north Suffolk, by a member of the public in June - six years after his disappearance.
The Clacton father-of-one vanished in 2017 after a night out in Norwich.
It is believed Mr Kedar had attempted to walk back to Essex after a friend let the air out of his car tyres - a decision made on the basis that he had drunk too much alcohol to drive.
Steve Gaskin, from Taverham, served as a detective chief inspector in the Metropolitan Police for more than 25 years and now works as managing director of investigative body The Crime Lab.
"This is certainly a very odd case," he said.
"Senior investigators will have to keep an open mind.
"The first thing I would question is whether this is a missing person or a murder case.
"Then I would look at the scene where he was found and look into the context around his death.
"You would have to go right the way back to when he went missing."
CCTV caught Mr Kedar withdrawing £100 of cash from a shop in Long Stratton at 6.30am on April 4 in 2017 - before last being seen in Dickleburgh at 9.30am.
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The last contact he had with someone was when he called his work colleague to say he would not be coming in.
"Authorities will now be carrying out a 360-degree investigation," said Mr Gaskin, with Norfolk police leading on the investigation.
"Had the body been there for the entire six years? Was anyone else involved?
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"They will be gathering witness statements and revisiting all the circumstances that led to his disappearance.
"A Home Office pathologist will also be attempting to find out the cause of death.
"It could be completely innocent, but you don't expect a 52-year-old to die of natural causes.
"Once all of this has been carried out, officers will hand over all of their findings to the coroner before an official inquest is opened."
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